Incompatible
by Kitsanken
Summary: Knives hates all humans. Meryl just hates Knives. It’s a match ideal for the promise of Eden. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 0001

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 1**

****~****

    Knives hurt.  Everything ached from the top of his head down to the bottoms of his feet and everything in between.  Of course, there were varying spots of agony that included his arms, legs and his left side.  Slowly he forced his eyes to open.  It seemed to take an inordinate amount of energy just to accomplish that simplest of tasks and he found he had to take several moments to gather the strength to focus on what he was seeing.  Of course, once he did so he found himself wondering why he even bothered.  All there was to see above him was a non-descript ceiling much the same as any other ceiling except for the tiny cracks spreading out like ugly spider webs in the flaking paint.  **Spiders?**  The thought stuck in his mind for some odd reason and left him with a strange sense of disgust.  Why those tiny eight legged creatures would make him feel like that was currently beyond his ability to grasp, but it was still there, a gnawing, empty ache in the pit of his stomach that spread out and made his aching body tingle with the sensation of having those very same spiders crawling all over him.  He shuddered and immediately regretted the action when the dull ache in his body turned into screaming agony from the tiny motion.  **Spiders…spiders…** His jaw clenched and his eyes filled with horrified loathing.  **Humans!**

    Memory crashed down on him and he felt his stomach clench as he nearly choked on rising bile.  Vash had shot him again…several times if the pain he currently felt was any indication.  **So…why didn't he just kill me?**  His last memory was of his brother standing over him aiming his gun…the silver gun Knives himself had made and given to him…at his head and…and… Blue eyes narrowed in concentration.  Vash had said something…but what had it been?  Something about…survival?  Yes, that had been it.  Vash had said that he would survive and that was the last thing Knives could remember until he'd opened his eyes to stare up the ugly ceiling and its cracked paint.

    The sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention and held it, drawing him out of his confused contemplation of his brother, spiders and survival.  He heard a door opening with a quiet creak and felt warm air wash over him.  He tried to summon the strength to turn his head, but found it futile.  He'd used up nearly all his reserves just in the battle to open his eyes and focus on the ceiling above him.  He felt a rise in his disgust and anger, this time directed at himself rather than his brother.  He hated weakness and found it intolerable when he found it in himself.  He listened to the soft, nearly inaudible footsteps approaching him and the bed he lay on.  They weren't his brother's distinctive and heavy tread.  So…who else could it be?  He felt a snarl drawing back his lips.  There was only one explanation…it was a human!  **Filthy, disgusting, parasitic spiders!**  His hand twitched as he tried to close it into a fist.  His head spun from the resulting pain of his action.

    Knives heard a sharp gasp from above him and forced his vision to clear so he could focus.  He found himself staring up into a pair of wide grey eyes set in a small delicate face framed by short dark hair.  His eyes narrowed.  **Why the hell is she staring at me?!**  He longed to put this puny female spider in her place, to reach up and wrap his hand around her throat and slowly choke the life out of her as he watched.  Unfortunately, in his current state he doubted he could summon the strength to move even his pinky finger never mind use brute force to attack the woman leaning over him.

    "Knives?"  She breathed his name and he winced, hating the way he was so powerless at the moment.  "Oh my gosh!  D-don't move!"  He glared up at her.  **As if I could.**  He thought darkly.  "I-I'll go get Vash!"  **You do that, spider.**  She disappeared from his vision and he breathed a soft sigh of relief.  He hated having those disgusting humans so close to him.  He'd tolerated Legato Bluesummers because the man had been somewhat useful, but that was all.  All other humans were shunned at all costs.

    Why the hell had Vash brought him so close to the humans he hated?  Didn't his brother realize that once he had recovered he'd kill every one of the filthy beasts?  His brother was an even bigger fool than he'd originally thought.  He sighed and returned his attention to the ceiling above him.  **That really is an awful color…** He thought distractedly.  Whoever had decorated obviously didn't have even the faintest notion of suitable colors for an interior.  Dark was **not** acceptable.  He frowned and pursed his lips thoughtfully.  **A light shade, perhaps blue or beige…it would lighten the room and make it appear larger.**  He mentally shook himself.  **What am I thinking?!  What do I care how these spiders choose to decorate their feeble dwellings?  So what if that dark color makes the room dull and lifeless?  I'm not going to be here long enough to really care.**

    His attention was distracted again by an enticing aroma wafting from just to the left of his head.  He sniffed experimentally and frowned.  It smelled good.  It suddenly occurred to him that the female spider had brought something into the room with her.  His eyebrows rose in surprise as he sniffed again.  It really did smell good.  The scent was familiar, teasing his senses but the memory danced just beyond his grasp.  He really ought to know what that scent was.  He frowned again and concentrated, forcing his mind to follow along the path the memory was trying to disappear down as it evaded his grasp.  He sniffed one last time.  **Aha!  Chicken noodle soup.**  He was rather pleased with himself for having finally grasped the elusive memory.  The next instant he was filled with disgust.  **What the hell's wrong with me?**  What did it matter what the human had brought into his room for sustenance?  Of course, it really did smell good.  He wondered idly if it still tasted the same.  That thought was immediately followed by a frown of confusion.  **But…where would they get chickens from?**  If it wasn't chicken…then what could it be?  He felt a little ill at the thought of maybe being forced to dine on Thomas noodle soup.  He really hated those ugly beasts of burden…giant, over-sized… "Chickens…" His voice emerged as a wheeze, rusty from obvious disuse.  "Ugh…" Thomas noodle soup, indeed.  He fervently hoped they didn't try to feed him that disgusting concoction…even if it did smell delicious.

    The sound of running feet drew him out of his morbid fascination with comparing chickens and Thomases.  He recognized the heavy tread as belonging to his brother.  "Knives!"  He winced at the volume of the address.  "Oh man…I'm was so wor—ahh!"  Knives gasped in agony and immediately lost consciousness as Vash tripped and fell across his brother's inert form.  "Oops."   


	2. Chapter 0002

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 2**

****~****

    Knives stared up at the ceiling hating it more and more with each passing moment.  His brother, he decided, was an idiot.  Of course, that wasn't news to him.  He'd known that for some time.  He scowled and narrowed his eyes.  He never would've thought Vash had a penchant for cruelty, though.  His current situation, however, pointed directly towards that conclusion.  Why else would his brother place him in the keeping of the humans he hated so much?  That was the only explanation.  **Vash, you're a cruel, sadistic bastard.**  He thought sourly as he heard an annoying sound emanating from just beyond the closed door to his current prison.  After a moment, he recognized it as off-key humming.  He grimaced and tried his level best to block out the sound.

    He'd learned that there were two female spiders in the same dwelling as he was currently in.  It was disgusting.  He had no idea when Vash had taken up with them, but he could only conclude from the snatches of hushed conversation he'd overhead that these were the 'Insurance girls' his sources had informed him of.  He frowned in concentration, trying to remember their names.  **Millie something-or-other and Beryl or something like that.**  He shrugged mentally and grimaced again.  He really hated being in too much pain to perform even the simplest of gestures.

    He became aware that the humming had stopped.  He breathed a silent sigh of relief.  He didn't mind music, but he much preferred it to **sound** like music and not some horrid replica of a Thomas' bellowing wheeze.  He could hear water running and was immediately reminded that he was thirsty.  He was annoyed that the human's had appeared to have forgotten about him…again.  He scowled up at the ceiling.  He'd be damned if he begged them for a measly drink.  So what if his throat felt like sandpaper?  He'd wait until Vash returned from wherever the idiot disappeared to during the day.  Of course, he could die of thirst before then.  He snorted disdainfully.  **That's probably what they're hoping for.**  He had no doubt that they'd be just as glad to dump his corpse out in the desert and let the dunes drift over him.

    Footsteps intruded on his morbid contemplation of thirst, death and sandy dunes.  He slowly turned his head towards the door, inordinately pleased that he was able to accomplish that on his own.  He was really getting sick of being an invalid trapped in a bed and at the mercy of those around him.  The door opened slowly to reveal the tall spider with the overly cheerful expression.  He scowled and turned back to staring at the ceiling.  Out of the two, he much preferred the smaller one.  She was almost interesting.  This one hardly ever reacted to anything.  He decided that she just wasn't normal.  **Probably mentally deficient.**  He thought with a smirk.  At least the other one had varying expressions ranging from worry to exasperation to red-faced anger.  This one just kept smiling like an idiot.

    "Good morning, Mr. Knives.  How are you feeling today?"  He ignored her, as usual.  He doubted she'd really want to know what he thought.  "I brought you some breakfast."  **Oh goodie.**  He thought sarcastically.  "I made you some porridge."  He grimaced.  He was beginning to detest the stuff.  It seemed all the humans could think to prepare was slop of some form or another.  Did they think Vash had shot out his teeth?  He winced when she sat on the edge of the bed causing the mattress to dip and shift his body painfully.  "Um…open wide!"  He glared up at her and clamped his lips tightly together.  His eyes crossed as he stared at the spoon hovering just above his face.  **Disgusting.**  He thought with a frown.  Of course, it didn't smell all that bad, but he wasn't about to let **her** know that.  The woman smiled broadly and reached down with her free hand to pinch his nose.  Eyes widening in shock he was left with no option but to open his mouth or suffocate.  She took the opportunity to shove the spoon in.  He glared up at her but swallowed lest he choke on the goopy concoction.  "There…that wasn't so bad, was it?"  She presented another spoonful to him.  He stared at it for a moment before dutifully opening his mouth.  He decided that the least amount of physical contact the better.  If he just complied and ate the porridge she wouldn't touch him again.  "Meryl and Mr. Vash are out shopping today."  She continued in a sickeningly cheerful voice as she continued to shovel the grey matter into his mouth.  He found he could barely keep up with the speed she was feeding him.  "Mr. Vash convinced her to get some doughnuts this time."  **Why the hell is she shoveling it in so damn fast?!**  He nearly choked but valiantly swallowed.  "There!  All done!"  **Thank God!**  He thought a little desperately.  "Well…I have to go now!"  She stood, causing the bed the shift again.  "Meryl should be here soon, so you don't have to worry about being alone, Mr. Knives."  With that she left without a backwards glance.

    He blinked and stared at the closed door.  That had to have been the strangest encounter he'd experienced to date.  **What the hell's wrong with her?**  He thought with a frown.  **That was odd…even for Millie.**  He scowled up at the cracked paint.  It wasn't that he cared one way or the other about the stupid female spider, but she'd nearly killed him with porridge just now.  He could think of much better ways to die than being choked with mouthfuls of the quivering grey mess she called breakfast.  He sighed deeply.  She hadn't even thought to bring him a glass of water.  **Figures.**  He thought with disgust.  He turned his head to stare at the door again.  **And why was she in such a hurry?**     


	3. Chapter 0003

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 3**

****~****

    Knives gritted his teeth and slowly raised his arm a couple inches off the mattress.  Closing his eyes in a grimace of pain he allowed it to fall back to the sheets and spent the next few minutes drawing in deep gulps of air as he fought the wave of nausea the pain had brought.  He had to admit that it was an improvement, even if it was a small one.  He was just lucky that his kind healed so fast otherwise he'd probably be dead…or at the very least a quadriplegic.  **Did he really have to shoot me so many times?**  He closed his eyes and winced at the very noticeable whine in his thoughts.  **Great.  Now I'm sounding even more like Vash.**

    He sighed and drummed his fingers on the sheets.  He was bored.  There was nothing to occupy his time except to stare up at the ugly ceiling and contemplate the destruction of the human race.  Of course, it was frustrating to think about his failed plans in view of the fact that he was currently at the mercy of the humans he hated so much.  It didn't matter how he looked at it, he'd sunk so far that it would probably take at least another century to dig himself out of the pit he'd found himself in.  He just couldn't understand why his brother had done this to him.  **What did I ever do to deserve this?**  He thought with a scowl.  He coughed and grimaced.  **Well, beyond the obvious, that is.**

    He sighed and looked towards the door.  It was getting to be close to the time one of his brother's females would be coming to check on him.  They seemed to have a schedule for these visits of theirs.  Breakfast was Millie and her infuriating cheer, lunch was Vash and his lectures about love and peace, and then the evening was taken up with Meryl and her glaring contests.  He felt a smile curve his lips as he listened for the sound of footsteps.  He was looking forward to seeing how many shades of red her face would turn before she gave up and just yelled at him.  He counted off the minutes silently and scowled.  **She's late.**

    He turned his attention back to the ceiling and narrowed his eyes as he focused on a dark spot that seemed to be moving across the cracked paint.  **Ugh…spider…** He hated spiders…both the human variety and the arachnid type.  He'd get Vash to get rid of it.  He'd do it himself, but he was currently confined to his bed and unable to move due to the pain in his body.  He really hated pain.  He'd never been able to deal with it well at all.  Vash, on the other hand, had been better equipped for it and at times Knives wondered if his brother had a predilection towards masochism.  He shuddered at the thought and winced.  How someone could actually **welcome** pain was a complete mystery to him, yet his twin's behavior over the last century seemed to point towards that conclusion.  Why else would he let the humans he loved so much shoot holes in his body and damn near kill him every time he was amongst them?  Knives decided that he'd never understand his brother and his seeming love for the pain that had been inflicted on him.

    He looked towards the door again, straining his hearing for any sign of movement beyond.  He could hear nothing and that puzzled him.  Meryl should be in his room right now hovered over him and glaring down at him as she forced him to eat whatever she brought for his evening meal.  Of course, he didn't really mind the food she brought, not that he'd ever let **her** know that.  It just wouldn't be nearly as entertaining if he were to acquiesce easily.  At least Meryl seemed to understand that he still had a full set of teeth in his head and fed him accordingly.  **So…where is she?**  He thought with a scowl.  He closed his eyes and concentrated, exerting precious energy as he 'searched' for her.  **She isn't even in the house.**  He thought with some surprise as he opened his eyes again to stare up at the spider currently spinning a web above his head.  He ignored the tiny creature and frowned thoughtfully.  What could make her so late?  He knew she had a job in the local café…he'd gleaned that much from overhearing heated conversations between her and his brother.  Perhaps she'd been required to stay late?  Of course, that didn't make a lot of sense to him.  If that were the case she would've just sent Vash or Millie to take her place.  Meryl never forgot about him and his need for sustenance.  So…where the hell was she?

    Knives hated to admit it, but he was concerned.  Meryl, he'd discovered during the time of his convalescence, was obsessed with order.  She made a schedule and expected everyone to abide by it.  He could almost admire that in her…almost.  She was neat and tidy, methodical in her approach to nearly everything she did.  And that, too, he could almost admire.  She had a stubborn streak that rivaled anything he'd ever seen before yet she also maintained an open mind.  He scowled and reluctantly decided that he could almost admire that about her, too.  If not for one minor detail, he found that he could almost like her.  That detail, unfortunately, was non-negotiable.  She was human and therefore, in his opinion, scum…disgusting, parasitic…but…strangely appealing.  He shook his head sharply.  Where had that thought come from?  He really needed to get out of his room…he was beginning to lose what sense he had.

    He was drawn out of his conflicting thoughts by the sound of running feet.  The door to his room banged open causing him to start and jump, jarring his injuries painfully.  He blinked and stared as his eyes fell on the intruder in the beginnings of a scowl.  The expression altered immediately to confusion as he took in the disheveled appearance of his visitor.  "S-sorry!  Sorry I'm late."  He frowned uncertainly as Meryl crossed the room nearly tripping in her haste.  She looked strangely flustered and he wondered what could have ruffled her usual professional calm so much to show.  "Ugh…men."  She muttered as she pulled a chair over to his bedside.  He looked up at her and waited patiently for her to continue.  He had a feeling it was going to be an interesting tirade to listen to.  "stupid, stinky, slobbering, disgusting…" She shook her head and balanced a plate on her lap.  "Honestly…what makes them think that women actually enjoy being groped?"     ****


	4. Chapter 0004

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 4**

****~****

    Knives sighed and closed his eyes to block out the sight of the ugly ceiling and the spider web clinging to it.  Not surprisingly, Vash had refused to kill the spider.  **Stupid, idiotic moron…** He thought in disgust.  Vash, he decided, had taken his 'no kill' attitude way too far.  Not only did he refuse to kill humans when his own life was in jeopardy, but he also stubbornly refused to kill even an insect.  **What the hell is wrong with him?!**  It was infuriating…and frustrating.  He just didn't understand what his brother could possibly be thinking in that empty head of his.  He could almost understand his views about humans…almost…since they were, in their own right, sentient beings.  But insects?  It just didn't make any sense.

    He sighed again and shifted uncomfortably.  The pain had receded in his limbs to a dull ache and he was now able to move…a little.  He still didn't think getting out of bed would be a very good idea, though.  He had a feeling the resulting pain just wouldn't be worth the effort, even if there was a possibility of getting out of the damnable room and seeing something other than the ugly ceiling and the annoying spider.  He found that he'd almost welcome seeing the humans as they scurried about their insignificant daily routines out in the bright light of day.  He was beginning to think that if he never slept in a bed again that would be too soon for his liking.  It wasn't that the bed he was currently occupying was particularly uncomfortable…quite the contrary…but after being confined to it for weeks on end, he was thoroughly sick of it.

    He shifted again and scowled.  Maybe he could convince Vash to at least prop him up in a sitting position so he could stare at something other than the ceiling with its cracked paint and the industrious spider spinning constantly above his face.  Anything would be an improvement at this point.  He was so bored he thought he'd go insane from it.  He smirked and shook his head.  Vash already thought he was loopy, so that wasn't an argument that would sway his brother to his way of thinking.  He was almost to the point that he welcomed the time he spent with Millie and Meryl.  He knew that something had to be done when he looked forward to Millie's constant babble accompanied by the gooey mess she called porridge.

    Time ticked away at an agonizingly slow pace and he found himself wondering what everyone did with their time when they were away from him and his boring prison.  Millie, he knew, worked with a construction crew that dug for water.  At first he'd been more than a little surprised at the discovery that a woman was employed in such heavy manual labor.  That was, until she'd displayed her shocking strength.  He shuddered at the memory.  He never…and he really meant **never**…wanted to get her pissed off at him.  She'd been able to lift him without any effort despite the fact that he outweighed her by at least seventy-five pounds.  He had a feeling that if she put her mind to it she could cause him a **lot** of unwelcome pain.  Her job, he knew, took up the daylight hours…at least until the blistering heat of midday and early afternoon.  So…where did she go during those hours?  It was a mystery.

    Meryl, he knew, worked at the local café…despite that unfortunate incident of two weeks before when she'd sent a customer into the oblivion of unconsciousness with a well-placed whack from her serving tray.  He snickered as he remembered her retelling of the incident.  He secretly felt the slug deserved everything he got and then some.  It disgusted him that humans could have such little common sense or decency.  If left up to him, the bastard wouldn't have an arm after that stunt he'd pulled.  So, Meryl's job took up the morning and afternoon, leaving her evenings free.  She spent some time with him, but where did she go after that?

    And then there was Vash.  His brother, he knew, was lazy beyond belief.  Besides, no one in their right mind would hire the idiot.  His penchant for disaster was too much of a deterrent for steady employment.  Anyone unlucky enough to hire him would soon find their business establishment destroyed beyond recognition.  Knives honestly didn't understand how Vash could cause so much havoc, but he understood the human's reluctance to take any chances where he was concerned.  So, what did he do when he wasn't annoying him during lunch?  He had to go somewhere…but where?

    The only constant companion he had to relieve the boredom of the hours spent alone was a stupid, black cat with unbelievably huge green eyes.  He'd really like to know where the feline came from and how it got in and out of his room with the door tightly shut and no windows, but he couldn't very well ask the animal itself.  He didn't mind the cat, just as long as it didn't step on his still healing limbs or shove its tail up his nose as it was wont to do.  It wasn't so bad when the creature just curled up on his chest and slept, the soft rumbling of its purr was actually quite relaxing.  He wondered if cats could be trained and if so, could he train the animal to kill the damned spider hovering on its thin thread of web just above him?

    He sighed and turned his head to survey the room again from his limited viewpoint.  The cat hadn't come in yet.  He frowned, wondering if he'd been abandoned by the feline as well.  He didn't like that line of thinking.  He hadn't been 'abandoned' by anything.  His brother was keeping him prisoner and the humans had, well, human things to do.  Besides, it wasn't as if he actually craved their company…was it?  He shook his head sharply and returned his gaze to the ceiling and the spider.  He narrowed his eyes and stared hard at the tiny creature and its web attached to the cracked and peeling paint.  There was something almost…well…almost beautiful about the way the web caught the light and shone with an iridescent glow.  He wondered why he'd never noticed it before.  It was strange, really, how the pattern seemed to evolve as he watched and the industrious spider just kept spinning and spinning creating a beautiful tapestry that stretched across the ceiling and quivered with any motion in the air surrounding it.  It was such a fragile construction, easily destroyed with very little effort, yet still it was…beautiful.   ****


	5. Chapter 0005

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 5**

****~****

    Knives looked over at the door in surprise.  He recognized the approaching footsteps as belonging to Meryl.  He frowned in confusion as they continued to close the distance to his room.  Meryl, he knew, wasn't supposed to be at home.  It was, by his calculations, only the middle of the day and she should be at her place of employment.  The door opened and she stepped in hesitantly.  He raised one eyebrow in silent inquiry.  Meryl?  Hesitant?  Not at chance.  So, that meant that something was wrong.  When she flopped down onto the chair beside his bed, his curiosity rose even more.  He waited patiently for her to break the silence.  He didn't have long to wait.

    "Well, Knives…it looks like you and I are going to be spending more time together."  She sighed heavily and leaned forward to rest her head in her hands, her elbows propped on her knees.  "I just got fired."  His eyebrows shot towards his hairline.  "They said they couldn't afford such a volatile temper in a waitress and the customers were afraid to come in anymore.  I just don't get it…" She sighed again and shook her head.  "I don't know how I'm going to tell Vash and Millie…"

    He frowned at her bowed head and pressed his lips together in a tight line to prevent the words on the tip of his tongue from emerging.  Truthfully, he was rather relieved that she was no longer employed in that café of hers.  It seemed to him that there were too many men there who had roving hands that seemed to zero in on her backside and other parts of her anatomy that they could reach.  Of course, he couldn't very well tell **her** that.  She'd probably misunderstand and jump to all the wrong conclusions.  It wasn't that he actually cared about her…not in the least.  After all, she was human and as far as he was concerned those creatures weren't appealing at all…even if some were almost interesting like Meryl.

    "Oh well…at least I still have my wages from the insurance company."  She straightened and smiled wanly.  "The job at the café was for extra money, after all."  She ran a hand through her hair and shrugged.  "Oh well…I guess Vash can do without his daily doughnut fix."

    **Doughnuts?  That's why she put up with those disgusting slugs and their groping?  All for Vash and his stupid doughnuts?!**  The entire idea infuriated him.  He scowled and turned his head away from her to stare up at the ceiling.  The spider had expanded its web and it was well on its way to becoming a cobweb.  Still, he did find the array of tiny filaments fascinating even if dust was now clinging to it.

    "What are you looking at?"  He blinked and looked at her again.  She was staring at him curiously, her grey eyes intent on his face.  He frowned and turned back to his perusal of the ceiling.  She didn't really expect him to answer, did she?  After all this time and she still seemed to expect a response from him to her prattling and occasionally irritating questions.  He snorted and, as usual, refused to answer.  Of course, he really didn't have an answer to her question either.  How could he possibly begin to explain his current morbid fascination with the spider spinning its fragile web above him?  He didn't even understand it himself.  "Maybe I can hide in here for a while.  Vash won't be back until later this evening and Millie's still at work…" His gaze snapped back to her.  "You won't tell on me, will you Knives?"  She laughed, a rather weak imitation of her usual happy sounds.  "Maybe I can keep this a secret for a while…at least until I can figure out how to tell them." Once again his eyebrows shot up.  "What?  Why are you looking at me like that?"  Meryl frowned down at him and tugged her bottom lip between her teeth.

    "Stupid…" He grimaced when his voice cracked from the constant disuse from the past few months.  "Human…" He cleared his throat and turned away from her.  He silently berated himself for breaking his silence.  Sure, she deserved to know the truth, but still…to lower himself to actually **talk** to her?  What was he thinking?

    Meryl blinked and stared, momentarily shocked speechless.  Finally she shook herself out of her stupor to lean forward and peer down into his averted face suspiciously.  "Did you say something, Knives?"  She asked with a frown.  His only answer was an annoyed grunt.  "I thought so.  Well…" She pulled back and sat again in her chair.  "For a while there I was beginning to think you were mute."

    His eyes snapped back to her and he scowled.  "Stupid…" He was rather pleased that his voice wasn't nearly as rough this time as it had been the previous attempt at speech had been.  "Human…" He finished on a growl.  Oh yeah…he was getting back into it now.  "Mute…bah!"

    "Well, what was I supposed to think?  I knew you couldn't be deaf from all the glaring you do whenever I talk to you, but since you never said anything…well, you know.  What else could it have been?  No one can be stubborn enough to refuse to speak for nearly three months."

    "Never…" He paused and cleared his throat.  "Had reason to."  He could sure use a drink about now.  His throat felt raw and abused.  Maybe breaking his silence hadn't been such a good idea after all.  "Water…" He croaked.

    She smirked and reached for the glass set on the stand beside his bed.  "Say please…"


	6. Chapter 0006

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 6**

****~****

    Knives stared at the wall across from him and scowled before tipping his head back to look for his spider and its web.  Of course, it was nowhere to be seen.  Meryl had decided to go on a cleaning frenzy.  He should be relieved that the tiny arachnid and its silver threads were no longer hanging over his head, but all he felt was disappointment and an odd sense of sadness.  He sighed and closed his eyes.  Even the cat had disappeared after Meryl had caught it on the table in the other room.  He shook his head slowly from side to side as he remembered the ensuing chaos that had followed her discovery.  He wondered what was going to disappear next.  He wouldn't put it passed her to try to find a way to get rid of both Millie and Vash, too.  It seemed she liked to dispose of all his other companions, so why should they be any different?

    He sighed and returned his attention to the wall.  Somehow, the cracked and peeling dark paint of the ceiling seemed much more appealing than the sterile metal of the wall across from him.  Scuffs and scrapes marked the surface making him wonder where the humans had scavenged this little bit of material from.  Tilting his head to the side in consideration, he thought he detected signs of scorch marks as well as grooves that appeared to have been made by bullets.  Maybe it would be better to not know where that wall came from after all.

    He shifted uncomfortably and closed his hands into fists at his sides.  Movement was becoming easier, though there was still residual pain in his limbs from where his brother had shot him.  He was beginning to wonder if the pain would ever go away.  He didn't want to even think about spending the rest of his life hurting like this.  He had no idea how long he could expect to live, but if his current age was any indication then that would be much too long to spend in pain.

    He sighed again, thoughts returning to his brother.  Vash's irritating lectures had dwindled and now he seemed content to talk to him about the past.  It was all very confusing to Knives.  He didn't want to think about the past.  He didn't want to remember Rem Saverem and the rest of the crew of the Seeds ship they'd spent the first year of their life on.  As much as he disliked the memories Vash liked to dredge up, there was one he hated on a level that far surpassed anything he could even begin to describe.  Every time he thought about it, his head would spin and it would become nearly impossible to breathe as hate washed over him threatening to make him vomit from the intensity of the feeling.  Even worse, though, was the accompanying fear.  He'd thought himself passed that stage.  After all, he'd ensured that there really wasn't anything left of the man to fear, yet even after all these years he could close his eyes and see Steve's face, his features twisted into a cruel grin as he raised his hand… Knives shook himself to clear the memory from his mind's eye.  **Don't think about it!**  He thought a little desperately as he felt the familiar nausea twist his insides.

    Vash still seemed to be enamored of that woman, Rem.  Everything he talked about seemed to always lead to her.  Knives was getting thoroughly sick of it.  The woman had been dead for over a century and still Vash couldn't stop talking about her.  He sighed and closed his eyes.  Sure, he still thought about her, too…but not on the same level as his brother.  If it wouldn't have been for Rem and her selfless sacrifice, all the humans would be dead and he could enjoy his long dreamt of Eden with his brother.  But no…she'd had to go and kill herself in the process of saving everyone else.  Of course, he did feel a little guilty about her death, but not enough to sway his ultimate goals.  Vash, on the other hand, had gone completely off the deep end over it, going so far as to try to kill him on several occasions.  Honestly, what was so wonderful about her anyway?  Sure, she'd been nice to them…but he was fairly certain that it would have changed once she came to realize the truth about the 'children' she'd adopted and took under her wing.  He winced as he thought of her likely reaction to the ultimate discovery of their true nature.  He doubted even her live and let live policy would've survived under the strain of that.

    Slowly he opened his eyes to stare sightlessly at the wall again.  He hated to admit it, even to himself, but he was beginning to wonder if he'd made a mistake in killing Rem's only surviving blood relative.  It had been that fiasco that had driven Vash to nearly destroying him along with July City.  He'd barely escaped that with his life intact.  It had taken a long time for him to recover from the injuries his brother had inflicted on his body.  It infuriated him that Vash had shot him…he hadn't quite been able to forgive his brother for that betrayal yet.

    Since Meryl no longer had a job to go to every day she'd been spending more time annoying him.  She'd taken over Millie's breakfast duties and Vash's lunch visits as well as her own evening ritual of verbal torture.  Vash still visited occasionally, but it seemed that his brother was content to let the woman take his place at Knives' bedside.  He'd never admit it aloud, but his twin's seeming abandonment had hurt him almost more than his bullets had.  **Whatever happened to his conviction that he was going to be the one to 'save' me?**  He thought sourly as he slowly folded his arms across his chest with a grimace of pain.  If Vash intended to do any saving and convincing, shouldn't he be spending more time at it?  He sighed and shook his head.  He hated to admit it, but he was lonely.  Despite his brother's penchant for dredging up memories best left forgotten, Knives still craved his company.  Why wouldn't he?  After all, Vash was his brother…his flesh and blood.  Everything he'd ever done had been for him, only the jackass refused to see it that way.

    He snorted and looked towards the door.  It was almost time for Meryl's lunch hour torture session.  He smirked and settled back for another sparring match.  He enjoyed their battle of wills more than he'd thought possible.  For a human, she was very interesting…and entertaining.  Somehow he doubted she'd appreciate learning that she was his daily entertainment.  The little woman had a lot of pride and it would be ruffled if she thought that he actually enjoyed the time they spent together.  He frowned as he thought about it.  It was true, he found; he **did** enjoy spending time with her.  It was an odd feeling of love and hate.  He loved to rile her, to get her temper to boil over, while at the same time he hated her for being human.  It really was too bad that she was one of those hateful parasitic creatures.  It was one flaw that he really couldn't overlook.  He shrugged and decided that he would just enjoy taunting her and use her for entertainment until the time came to once again implement his plans.  After all, he wouldn't be confined to this damned bed forever and he still had a goal to reach.  He was confident that he'd be able to convince Vash that his mission was true and just eventually…if only he could somehow get him away from the humans long enough to do so.


	7. Chapter 0007

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 7 **

****~****

    Vash was staring at him expectantly again.  He snorted and turned his head away, refusing to acknowledge him.  His brother, as usual, was waiting for him to comment on his inane blithering chatter.  **Tough.**  He thought ungraciously.  He had absolutely nothing to say to him…at least nothing he'd want to hear.  He wasn't about to start spouting that 'love and peace' crap just because his brother had been trying to brainwash him into believing in that bull.  If Vash really was serious about it, he'd be using more of his Plant abilities to wear down Knives' resistance.  But of course his brother wouldn't ever do that…he refused, even now, to accept the true nature of his existence.  Vash was still trying to be human.  Knives' lip curled in disgust.  **Idiot.**  He thought sourly.  Vash was a Plant and the sooner he accepted that the sooner he could get over his silly infatuation with the humans who seemed to take great pleasure in tormenting him.  No matter how much he longed for it to be otherwise, Vash was just going to have to come to terms that he wasn't human and learn to live with it.

    "Come on, Knives."  He winced at the wheedling tone he was using.  "It isn't that hard, is it?"  He frowned, trying to decide what it was his brother was blabbering about this time.  Was it the 'love and peace' thing again?  Or was it something to do with admitting that he'd been wrong about humans?  Their conversations always came down to that so it was hard to tell what it was that Vash was trying to get at this time around.  Knives had long since stopped listening to everything his twin said.  It had become tedious to listen to the dull lectures day in and day out.  Eventually Vash would have to come to realize that his will couldn't be swayed in this matter.  "Well, fine, then."  Vash stood, his frustration clear.  "Be that way.  I'm tired of wasting my time talking to myself."  Knives glanced over at him from the corner of his eye.  "I just don't get it.  All I'm trying to do is help you and you're still acting like this."  He winced when the door slammed behind him.

    He rolled his eyes and snorted again before shifting to a slightly less uncomfortable position.  Vash hadn't remembered to prop him up before leaving.  He sighed and shook his head as he stared up at the ceiling.  Frowning thoughtfully he wondered if he could do it himself.  Gritting his teeth, he proceeded to try and finally gave up and relaxed against the soft mattress with a soft, frustrated curse.  He was thoroughly sick of being too weak to perform even the simplest of tasks like sitting up and changing his position on the cursed bed that had become his prison.  He suppressed a childish urge to through a tantrum.

    The door opened slowly and he turned his head to look in surprise at the new arrival.  His eyebrows rose when he saw Meryl hesitating in the doorway.  "What do you want?"  He asked softly but with venom, not wanting his voice to carry to his brother's ears.  He'd refused to speak to Vash and it just wouldn't do to let him know that he'd deigned to converse with his little human pet.

    Meryl stepped into the room and closed the door behind her quietly before crossing the short distance to glare down at him.  "You're unbelievable!"  She hissed furiously, small hands closed into fists at her sides.  He wondered briefly is she was going to hit him.  She hadn't resorted to physical abuse yet, but he wouldn't put it passed her to give up on merely verbally abusing him.  "Vash only wants to help you and you're being such an ass about it."

    "So what?"  He turned his head away from her to stare at the wall beside him.  It wasn't much better than the wall at the foot of the bed, only lacking the burn marks and grooves of the other one.

    "So what?!"  He winced as her voice rose before she closed her eyes and drew in deep, calming breaths.  "I can't believe you!"  She dropped into the chair beside his bed.  "Why do you insist on hurting him?  Is it because you're so miserable that you want company?"

    "You know what they say…misery loves company."  He glared at her for a moment.  "Help me up."

    "Why should I?  It would serve you right if we all just stopped coming in here and let you rot in your own miserable existence."  She scowled down at him.  "Where would you be then?  If you didn't starve to death you'd dehydrate and die that way.  Sometimes I think Vash should've just left you out in the desert to die.  Maybe then he wouldn't be feeling like this.  Or maybe he should've just killed you outright.  It would've saved us the trouble of putting up with your crap."

    He blinked in surprise.  "Vash wouldn't do that, woman."

    "No, he wouldn't.  But he should have."  She leaned closer, invading his personal space in his opinion.  "You're an evil, evil man, Knives.  You take pleasure in hurting others.  You're a homicidal maniac blown up with egotistical self-importance.  You're not a god!  You may not be human, but you're still mortal and not omnipotent."

    "A god?"  He snorted.  "Not likely.  A superior being?  Absolutely.  You humans are all the same!"  He reached up and fisted his hand in the soft material of her blouse, drawing her down further.  "You're parasites!  Your entire existence is based on raping and pillaging without a thought to the other organisms that exist along side you!"  His blue eyes narrowed in rising anger.  "You destroyed the planet you originated from!  Your kind are the only species in existence that preys upon itself!  You're worse than animals!  Filthy, disgusting, stupid, arrogant humans!"

    It was her turn to blink in surprise at his vehemence.  "Is that what you think?"  She asked with deceptive calm.  "That we're animals?  We're trying, Knives!  We're trying to survive.  Every living thing desires to continue living…even you!"

    "No, not animals…parasites!  You thrive by living off the Plants!  You trap them, imprison them, use them and then discard them as if they're nothing but garbage!"

    "We're doing the best we can!  Give us an alternative, Knives!  Tell me how we can do better!"

    "Die!"  He shouted and flung her away from him.  "Just die, already and leave the Plants alone!"

    "That isn't an option!  Try again."  She sat slowly again and watched him warily.  "We need the Plants to survive because you trapped us on this Godforsaken planet in the first place.  I never asked for this, Knives.  I did nothing to deserve it and neither did the majority of the people here."

    "Humans destroyed their planet…they'll do it again.  It's only a matter of time before they wipe out the entire universe with their greedy disregard for…"

    "We're not all like that!"  She jumped to her feet again to lean over him.  "God!  You're such an ass!  You can't judge everyone for the crimes of a few!"  She spun away from him and stomped to the door.  "You're such an unbelievable jerk."  With that parting shot, she left.

    Knives closed his eyes, hands clenching into fists as he fought to control the rage rising within him.  She didn't understand…not that he'd expected a **human** to sympathize with the plight of the Plants.  He drew in several deep breaths and finally sighed.  He was alone again…and still he was flat on his back.  He had a feeling it was going to be a long day.  He doubted she'd return for a while…at least until her temper cooled enough to remember that she'd forgotten to bring him something to eat.


	8. Chapter 0008

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 8 **

****~****

    Knives shifted and, with a grimace of pain, sat up.  He spent the next several minutes fighting down the nausea that had arisen at the pain throbbing in his limbs.  Drawing in a shallow breath he slowly opened his eyes and sighed softly.  He'd done it.  He'd finally managed to sit up on his own.  Unfortunately now that he'd accomplished the feat he was feeling unbelievably weak.  He was becoming thoroughly sick of his existence as an invalid.  He wanted to be up and out of the damned bed he was still trapped in.  He wanted to be able to at least get out of the room he'd been imprisoned in for over four months.  He was beginning to think he'd do nearly anything just to see the suns again.

    He needed something to distract him or he would **really** go insane!  He looked around the small room in disgust.  There was absolutely nothing in sight that would stave off the boredom that was creeping up on him again.  He'd even welcome Millie at that point just to have something to do other than stare at the walls around him and slowly go out of his mind.  Unfortunately the tall woman no longer came to see him.  In fact, no one except Meryl did.  He closed his eyes as a horrible thought crossed his mind.  Maybe she **had** gotten rid of them just like the cat and the spider!  He shook his head sharply.  No, that couldn't be it.  The woman was many things, but he doubted she would actually resort to killing her companions just to spite him.

    It had been over a week since Vash had last come to see him.  Knives wondered if his brother had finally given up on the lectures.  Of course, that didn't explain why he didn't come to see him at all.  He really would welcome his brother's presence.  His face heated with embarrassment as he thought of a couple of very good reasons why he'd like Vash to come back and see him.  There was nothing more mortifying than having to rely on a woman for some very basic needs…such as the necessity of getting out of bed to use the lavoratory.  He winced and felt the heat rise in his face even more.  And then there was the little matter of bathing.  He shuddered at the memory.  He never, ever wanted to go through an ordeal like that again.  Even now, he wasn't certain who had been more embarrassed…him or Meryl.

    Ever since their altercation of two weeks before he'd maintained his stony silence, refusing to speak to her.  Of course, for her part, she was equally silent.  She never spoke to him any more, merely glared at him in such a manner that made him squirm uncomfortably, not that he'd ever admit to it.  She'd completely abandoned all pretense of niceties and blatantly showed her disgust in him.  He frowned as he pondered the change in the woman.  He found that he missed her old attitude, even if it would annoy him at times.  He decided that anything was better than the way he was currently being treated.  A small voice in his head told him he was merely getting what he deserved.  He tried to ignore it.

    He sighed and finally shook his head.  He really had no choice.  He had to break down and make the first move if he wanted to find relief from the boredom.  Closing his eyes, he expanded his consciousness and searched for his brother.  Scowling, he increased the range and finally gritted his teeth when he still came up with nothing.  "Where the hell is he?"  He muttered under his breath, a confused frown wrinkling his forehead.  Unless he was mistaken, Vash was nowhere near his location.  Then again, maybe his brother had merely learned to mask his presence.  Sighing, he tried another approach.  **Vash?*  He called out telepathically and waited for an answer.

    It seemed to take an inordinate amount of time for a reply to return to him.  **Knives?**  There was confusion and concern in the answer…as well as a sense of great distance.

    **Where are you, brother?**

    **Um…what's wrong?**  He frowned when Vash ignored his question to retort with one of his own.

    **I'm bored.**  He answered truthfully.

    **Tough.**  He gasped in shock when the connection was abruptly closed.  That hadn't been the reaction he'd expected.  He'd thought Vash would be exasperated, maybe even annoyed, but he never would've thought he'd shut him out so thoroughly.  Was his brother that angry with him?

    "Of course he is."  He muttered darkly.  Vash loved humans and just couldn't understand why Knives didn't.  It was a hundred and thirty year argument that had never been settled satisfactorily.  His twin just couldn't get it through his thick skull that humans were worthless creatures hell bent on annihilating themselves and everything else with them.  Knives knew.  Oh did he ever.  He knew more than he liked at times.  He just didn't understand how his brother could love the humans who had countless times betrayed him and hurt him, hunting him like an animal and carving wounds into his body and mind that would never properly heal.  "How can he forgive them like he does?"  It was a puzzle that he couldn't decipher.  For all his intellect, Knives couldn't grasp the cause of his brother's willingness to forgive the transgressions of an entire race against their kind.  Of course he knew that most humans didn't know that Plants were sentient beings, but he didn't think that excused their actions.  He doubted that even if they **did** know they would change their destructive ways.  After all, didn't he learn that on board the Seeds ship?  Steve's reaction to the truth had taught him that exposing the truth would do no good.  The man had hated them with every fiber of his being and had done everything in his power to destroy them short of ejecting them into cold space.  "Probably would have, too, if I didn't do something…" He sighed and shook his head.  He was getting a headache from all the confusion whirling through his mind.  He'd never understand Vash and he didn't know why he was even bothering to try. 


	9. Chapter 0009

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 9 **

****~****

    It was time, he decided, to do something about his confinement.  He was thoroughly sick and tired of staring at the same four walls and dreary ceiling.  He was beyond caring whether or not his still aching body was capable of withstanding the rigors of what he was about to demand of it.  He needed to get out of the damned room and see something else.  He was so bored that even the knowledge that he'd be causing himself immeasurable pain couldn't deter him from his set course.

    Gritting his teeth in grim determination he swung his legs over the side of the bed.  So far so good…the pain was bearable, merely straining discomfort and not stabbing agony.  Shifting his weight forward he drew in a deep breath and pushed himself up from the soft comfort of the mattress and swayed, his head spinning with dizziness and sudden pain.  "Damn…" He muttered and held himself stiffly still as he waited for the wave of nausea to pass along with the trembling weakness he felt in his limbs.  He was thankful that he was alone.  He doubted he could withstand the torment flooding his protesting muscles as well as the jeering he was likely to receive from Meryl if she could see him swaying where he stood, close to collapse from the exertion he'd just pushed himself to perform.

    He narrowed his eyes and studied the distance from himself to the door before sighing.  Considering that it had taken all his strength to just stand up he seriously doubted he could make it across the short distance to the door without falling flat on his face.  The humiliation that would accompany such an occurrence made him cringe.  Meryl would never let him live it down if she were to come in and find him sprawled in an ignominious heap on the floor.  He glanced down at the floor and raised a hand quickly to cover his mouth when he felt his stomach heave.  He never realized how far down it actually was until that moment.  **Just my luck…** He thought sourly as he fought to keep his stomach where it belonged and not in his throat.  **Now I'm experiencing vertigo.  Figures.**

    When his stomach had settled to a more sedate level of protestation he glanced back at the bed grimly.  He had a choice to make now.  Get back into the bed and stay bored, or attempt to walk and possibly fall on his face.  He looked back to the door and scowled.  He'd been confined to the room for too damn long for his liking but he wasn't looking forward to the possibility of falling either.  He looked from the bed to the door several times with a frown before sighing.  There really was no help for it.  He had to make the attempt and risk the embarrassment or he'd go out of his mind and finally crack up from staring at the same damn walls for much longer.  "At least I won't be bored anymore…" He muttered under his breath as he gathered his strength to take the first step.  Drawing in a deep breath he closed his eyes and moved…only to have his leg buckle under the strain of trying to support his weight as the door opened.

    "Knives!"  He winced at Meryl's startled cry and tried to prepare himself for the impact of the floor with his face.  Instead of the hard floor, he landed on something soft…and warm.  He opened his eyes to find himself staring into Meryl's startled grey gaze.  "Idiot.  You shouldn't be out of bed yet."  She grunted with the strain of supporting his weight.  "Okay…easy does it…" She guided him back to the bed carefully, her arms locked around his waist, and slowly lowered him to the mattress.  "Whew…you're heavy!  Don't do that again."  She sat heavily in the chair and sighed, face red from the exertion of practically carrying him.  "Unlike Millie, I can't just carry you around, Knives.  I'm not strong enough."

    "Should've just let me fall…" He muttered and allowed himself to fall back to stare up at the ceiling.

    Meryl peered at him in surprise.  "You mean to say you'd rather be on the floor right now?"  She shrugged.  "Suits me just fine, but then I'd have to pick you up and get you back into the bed any way, so this works out much better I think."

    "Bah…" He sighed and slowly pushed himself back into a sitting position, trying not to wince from the discomfort in his protesting muscles.  "I'm bored."  He admitted grudgingly.

    "So you'd rather risk reopening your wounds to divert your boredom?  I never would've pegged you to be a masochist, Knives."

    "I'm not…" He began heatedly before closing his mouth with an audible click.  He had to admit that his recent actions actually did point towards that conclusion.  "At least bring me something to read, then."

    She tilted her head to the side in careful consideration, lips pursed into a thoughtful frown.  "You really want to get out of here, don't you?"  She asked softly, grey eyes intent on his face.

    "What do you think?"  He counted without rancor.  "I've been staring at the same thing for four months.  I'm going insane from the lack of mental stimulation."

    She shrugged and stood slowly.  "Then why not put your mind to planning out the destruction of the human race?"  She cast a rather nasty smile in his direction before heading for the door.  "You've no one to blame but yourself, Knives.  Your attitude and snide remarks drove everyone else away.  I'm all you have left and I'm not going to give in to your crap so you can just sit tight and deal with being bored."  She closed the door quietly behind her.

    He stared at the door in open-mouthed shock.  Never, in his one hundred and thirty-one years had anyone ever spoken to him in such a manner.  Not even Rem when she'd been scolding him for something or other that he'd done.  Even Vash, in all his anger, had never been so…so…cold.  His eyes narrowed on the door and he scowled.  He wasn't going to 'sit tight' as she'd so eloquently put it.  To hell with caution.  He was getting out of the damn room and he was going to do it on his own without any help from the infuriating woman.  


	10. Chapter 0010

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 10 **

****~****

    He hated to admit it, even now, but the woman had been right.  He stared up at the ceiling and ignored the pain lancing outwards through his legs.  He idly wondered how far he'd set back his recovery.  With his luck he'd end up spending another four months staring at the same walls and thinking the same dreary thoughts and remain unbelievably bored.  He sighed and closed his eyes.  He wasn't going to try walking again for some time, not after the episode from two weeks before.  He winced just remembering.  He'd been right about one thing…the floor **had** been hard.

    The door opened and he purposely turned his face to the wall.  He wasn't actually trying to be difficult this time…he honestly didn't want to see Meryl or talk to her.  He was tired of the animosity that surrounded them when they were together and he felt the only way to avoid it was to simply keep his mouth shut.  Every time he opened his mouth to say something he always ended up making her angry and he was tired of it.  He couldn't seem to have a civil conversation with her so it was better to just stop bothering.

    Millie and Vash, he'd discovered, had left town for some business or other.  Amazingly, the people of the town seemed to like him and trust him so they'd voted him to be the new sheriff after the other had absconded with the town funds.  He was happy for his brother.  It seemed as if he might actually get the peaceful life he'd wanted after all.  If his luck held, people would eventually forget that he'd ever been Vash the Stampede, sixty billion double dollar outlaw and the Humanoid Typhoon.  Knives hoped it worked out for him.  He may as well enjoy the time he had with the humans rather than constantly running for his life everywhere he went.

    "Are you still sulking?"  He winced at the harsh tone she used as well as the words.  He dearly wanted to tell her that he, Millions Knives, didn't sulk, but decided that it would be prudent to maintain his silence.  If he held his tongue, maybe she'd just leave him alone for a while and not yell at him, even if it was only for an hour or so.  "Knives?"  He pressed his lips together and stared intently at the wall.  **Oh look…another crease in the steel…imagine that.  And there…another scuff mark.**  He tried to block out the sound of her voice and found it to be a futile endeavor.  He sighed inwardly and closed his eyes.  Maybe if he feigned sleep she'd go away.  "Hey, I'm talking to you!"  He winced at the volume so close to his ear.  What was she doing?  Trying to make him deaf?  "Are you still pouting about what happened?  Come on…get over it.  It was bound to happen, you know.  I tried to tell you that you were in no shape to try walking, but did you listen?  Of course not.  I mean, really.  What does a stupid human know, right?"

    Unable to remain silent any more he sighed.  "Oh shut up."  He muttered.  "Go away."  He just wanted to be alone, couldn't she see that?  What did he have to do, spell it out for her?  He'd thought she had **some** intelligence, even if she was human.  Maybe he'd been wrong about her after all.  He sighed softly again.  It didn't really matter one way or the other, not to him at least.  He'd give anything just to get her to leave him alone.

    "What?  No sardonic reply?  What happened to that sarcastic wit we all hate so much?"  She leaned over him to peer into his face.  "Knives?"  She asked softly.  "Hey…what's wrong?"  Was that concern he detected in her tone?  He almost snorted.  **Right.  As if she cares.**  "Are you okay?"  At his continued silence she slowly backed away.  "Okay…this is weird…" She murmured as she slowly made her way to the door.

    He breathed a soft sigh of relief when he heard the door close.  "Finally…" Slowly he opened his eyes to stare up at the ceiling.  A slight smile curved his lips up as his sharp eyes detected a darker blotch against the paint.  "Ah…spider…" He murmured softly and watched the tiny creature's progress across the cracked and peeling paint.  He wondered if this arachnid would take up residence in his room.  He found that he almost hoped it did.  He missed the sight of the other spider's web being spun above his head.  He wasn't sure if he should be alarmed at these thoughts and decided to not worry about it at the moment.

    In the silence of his room he found his mind traveling down nearly forgotten paths of memory, inexorably dragging him back to his brief childhood aboard the Seeds ship with his brother.  In the beginning everything had been idyllic and he'd been happy.  Rem had been a kind and caring woman though a little naïve at times.  Joey had been a generous and patient man trying his best to fill in as a father figure though he tended to second guess himself too often.  Mary had shown them the stimulation of interacting with others in a social environment though she lacked the vision of her friend, Rem.  Rowen had taught them much in regards to the technology on board their ship and shown them the path to intellectual pursuits but his lack of self confidence had undermined his authority on many occasions.  And then there was Steve.  Knives felt his lip curl with disgust.  That man had taught him one thing and one thing only…only the strong survive by preying on the weak.  He'd been a bully who enjoyed to pick on those weaker than himself.  The lesson he'd taught Knives was that human nature was ugly and filled with hatred and fear.  It was a lesson he'd learned well and had never once forgotten.

    It had been a harsh reality that Knives had woken up to all those years ago under the heavy handed tutelage of that man.  Vash had received similar lessons, yet somehow he'd forgiven Steve for the beatings and the horrible emotional abuse he'd dished out.  Knives hadn't been able to do that.  He'd been unable to forgive nor could he forget.  He'd tried to spare his brother the worst of the abuse and had received it double for his efforts.  He was thankful that Vash, as gentle and sensitive as he'd been, had been spared the pain of betrayal at the hands of the humans he both trusted and admired.  Rem had been useful in that respect.  She'd kept Vash occupied and away from Steve with her prattle about love and peace and her naïve hopes and dreams of the future.  But it didn't excuse the fact that she completely ignored what Steve had been doing all that time.  It wasn't like she didn't know.  How could she not know?  It was vividly obvious in the bruises and broken bones, the torn clothing and fearful hiding.  She should have protected them from Steve but she'd chosen to turn a blind eye to the man's abuse and continued as if she were blissfully ignorant of the situation.  And that was why Knives detested her memory so much.  It had all been a lie…everything.  The hugs and the stories and the lullabies and the way she'd gently kiss their foreheads as they went to sleep at the end of the day.  Rem Saverem and her so-called teachings of life and the inherent goodness in everyone was nothing but a hypocrite and a liar.

    He scrubbed his face wearily and tried to banish the unwelcome memories that were invading his mind.  He didn't want to think about Rem and her betrayal of his faith and trust.  He didn't want to think of Steve and his vicious attacks.  He didn't want to think about any of it.  He just wanted to rest and gather his strength for another attempt at walking.  He wanted to find peace, even for a few short hours, in the oblivion of sleep.  He sighed and forcefully pushed all the negative thoughts from his mind as he forced his body to relax.  Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, sleep was still a long time in coming.  


	11. Chapter 0011

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 11 **

****~****

    "Come on, Knives.  You have to eat."  Meryl sounded both worried and exasperated.  "It's been a week already.  If you keep this up, how are you ever going to recover enough to walk?"  He turned away from her to stare at the wall.  "I just don't understand you.  I thought you wanted to get out of this room!  If you don't eat, you'll never have the strength to get out 'cause I certainly can't carry you."  He closed his eyes to block out her face as she leaned over him to try to catch his eyes.  "Knives, do you really want to worry Vash like this?  When he finds out that you're not eating he's going to worry himself sick, so please…eat just a little, okay?"  He tried to block out her voice.  "Damn it, Knives! If I have to shove this down your throat to make you eat, I will and don't think I won't!"  He clamped his lips tightly together knowing that she **would** try to follow through on her threat.

Couldn't she understand that he just wanted to be left alone?  He just wanted to sleep, that's all.  He couldn't find any peace during his waking hours with his thoughts running around like a hamster on its wheel.  He was filled with confusing and conflicting thoughts, memories he'd long thought forgotten resurfacing to torment him with their bitter sweetness.  If only he could just sleep long enough to recover his mental equilibrium he would be able to remember his purpose and stay focused.  Until then, he'd be plagued by doubts and uncertainties, confused beyond reason.  He hated being confused.  He'd always had his mind firmly set on his goal, everything he did was well thought out and planned to perfection.  To be unable to do that now was almost frightening.

"I don't know what's going on in that thick skull of yours, but if you think I'm going to feel guilty you've got another thing coming!  I will **not** feel guilty because of you, Knives."  He heard her sigh deeply.  "Are you even listening to a thing I've been saying?  You haven't spoken to me in over three weeks…you refuse to eat, you hardly drink anything…I just don't understand."  He felt cool fingers touch his cheek.  "If I didn't know any better, I'd almost swear you were depressed."  He couldn't even dredge up the energy to be repulsed by her touch.  In fact, surprising as it was, he found it to be…pleasant.  "Knives…do you want to go outside?"  She whispered softly near his ear.  "I'll help you if you want…only…" She paused as she continued to stroke her fingers against his cheek.  "Only you have to eat something, okay?  If you eat something, I'll help you outside.  There's a nice rocking chair there and there's a nice, cool breeze so you won't get too warm."

He found that even the prospect of getting out of his prison didn't appeal to him anymore.  In the back of his mind he knew his behavior was irrational and that he had to snap out of it.  It wasn't healthy to refuse to eat and drink, but he just couldn't seem to help himself.  He couldn't even manage to hate his human keeper anymore either.  He had to admit that she did sound worried about him, but he figured that it was because of Vash.  After all, she'd never tried to hide her loathing of him.  She'd been very clear in her feelings.  She hated him with every fiber of her being and he doubted that it would ever change.  He could accept that.  She was only showing concern for him out of loyalty to his brother, nothing else.  He sighed inwardly.  It was no less than he deserved, he knew that.

Meryl pulled back slowly and shook her head.  He wasn't paying attention to her, that much was obvious.  She nibbled on her bottom lip, a frown of worry creasing her forehead.  "I think I had better contact Vash."  She murmured softly.  "Maybe he can talk some sense into you."  He listened to the sound of her footsteps retreating.  "It would help if I knew where he was…" The door closed with a quiet click signaling that he was finally alone.

Knives allowed his tense muscles to relax but stayed in the same position facing the wall.  He found it rather surprising to discover that even Meryl didn't know where Vash was.  He'd thought for sure his brother would keep in contact with her but apparently he'd been wrong in his assumption as to the actual nature of their relationship.  Perhaps they weren't as intimately friendly as he'd at first assumed.  He shrugged inwardly.  It didn't really matter to him one way or the other.  If Vash was stupid enough to ignore how the woman so obviously felt about him it wasn't his place to say anything about it.  Vash was a grown man…he could straighten out his own personal life without any help from him.

It had been six months…**six months**…since his brother had shot him full of holes and carted his body across the desert only to dump him unceremoniously in this Godforsaken human town with nothing to do but grit his teeth and bear it.  After leaving him to the so-called tender mercies of the human women he seemed to be fond of, he'd abandoned him to his own devices.  Knives supposed he couldn't blame him for that.  After all, he'd refused to speak to his brother and pretty much ignored everything he said to him…well, at least after Vash had begun repeating himself that is.  But still, though he acknowledged that he deserved what he'd gotten, he honestly didn't understand why his brother had cut himself off from him telepathically as well.  That was something that would bother Knives for a long time.  Even during the height of their disagreements he'd never done such a thing.  He wondered what it all meant.  Had he finally succeeded in driving Vash away from him?  A tiny frown tugged at his brows.  Could it be possible that after a hundred and thirty years Vash had finally given up on him and truly abandoned him?  Just thought of it caused a wave of pain to wash over him.

After everything that had happened, all the death and blood shed, Vash had never once stopped all communication.  Slowly his eyes opened to stare sightlessly at the wall.  If even Meryl, Vash's trusted friend, didn't know where he was, could it be possible that something had happened to him?  Could it be possible that the humans had finally succeeded where they'd failed for all these years?  Could Vash, even now, be lying dead somewhere, forgotten, abandoned, cold and lifeless?  He shuddered at the thought.  What would he do if his only brother left him completely and utterly alone?  What would be the point of continuing in his quest for Eden if that happened?       


	12. Chapter 0012

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 12 **

****~****

    "Knives, if you don't open your God damned mouth I'm going to have to resort to drastic measures!"  Meryl leaned over him, spoon poised, grey eyes narrowed on him intently.  "This has gone on long enough.  I don't care that you're not human…no one can go this long without nourishment and hope to survive!  Now, open up and eat!"  She pushed the spoon closer and he turned his head slowly to the side.  "I just don't understand you!  What's wrong with you?"  She dropped the spoon back into the bowl with a slight plopping sound.  "Do you **want** to die?!"  He allowed his eyes to slide closed wearily and heard a sharp gasp.  "That's it, isn't it?"  She whispered softly.  "You've just given up?"  The mattress dipped as she put more of her weight on it.  "You have to stop this, Knives.  Nothing good will come of it.  You'll only cause Vash more pain…or is that what you want?  Do you want your brother to suffer more because of you?"

    He sighed softly and slowly shook his head.  "You…" He whispered, taking great care to form the words properly.  "You don't understand."

    "Damn right I don't understa—" Her exasperated words cut off abruptly.  "Wait a minute…did you actually say something?  Did you actually deign to grace me with words from your divine mouth?  Well, I'll be damned.  It speaks."  She snorted and reached for the bowl again.  "All right.  Since it's been established that you're still in that noggin somewhere we're going to try eating again, all right?"

He slowly lifted his arm and gently, but firmly, pushed her hand away.  "Go away."  He said flatly and allowed his arm to drop to his side again.

"I will **not**!"  He winced when she climbed the rest of the way onto the bed and straddled him.  "Okay, Knives…it's time to get tough.  You are going to eat and I'm not kidding around any more.  I didn't want to resort to this, but you've left me with no choice."  His eyes snapped open when he felt the oddest sensation against his side.  His mouth fell open in shock and she took advantage by shoving the spoon in his mouth.  "Hah!  So you **are** ticklish!"

He choked and spluttered before finally forcing himself to swallow.  He glared up at her in silent accusation as he pressed his lips together in a firm line of refusal as she held the spoon up again.  He had to admit, even if only to himself, that he much preferred Meryl's form of persuasion to Millie's.  He hadn't forgotten yet what she'd done to him to get him to eat that blasted porridge of hers.

"Come on, Knives.  Another spoon…" She held it out to him expectantly.  "I can and will tickle you again so don't push it.  I know how much you hate being touched, so why don't you do us both a favor and just get it over with?  That way I won't have to touch you any more than I have to."  She blinked in surprise when she thought she saw a flash of hurt in his blue gaze before he abruptly turned his head to the side and stared at the wall.  She bent forward and peered at him closely.  "Knives?"  She asked softly, her tone almost gentle.  "Hey…come on…" She bit her lip anxiously when he merely closed his eyes and sighed deeply.  "Knives…this isn't like you.  Come on…yell at me…tell me how disgusting I am…say something!"

"Go away."

"You have to snap out of it.  I can't stand to see you like this."  She set the bowl aside and reached out to gently place her hands against his face to turn his head to where she could peer into his features closely.  "Where is that anger and hate I'm used to seeing?  Come on, please…tell me again how you're going to kill us all, okay?  If you're trying to make me feel bad, it's working, all right?  Are you happy?  I feel guilty…that's what you've been aiming for, isn't it?"

He sighed and slowly shook his head, reaching up to push her hands away.  "Go away, Meryl.  I'm tired.  Let me sleep, all right?"

"What is **wrong** with you?"  She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his.  "You're really starting to scare me, now.  It's like you've completely given up…and I hate it."  She whispered as she closed her eyes against the sting of tears.  "I don't think this is what Vash wanted when he brought you here to heal, Knives.  He only wanted to help you…not hurt you.  What's he going to say when he comes home to see you like this?"

He placed his hands against her shoulders and started to push her back, away from him.  "Don't."  He stated firmly, expression hardening.  "Don't you dare."  He glared up into her widening grey eyes.  "Don't you **dare** pity me!"  He pushed her away from him and struggled to a sitting position to continue glaring at her.  "Save your sympathies for someone else…someone who deserves it!"  He shoved one last time and she fell off the bed with a thump.  "Now leave me alone!"  He finished on a shout.

"I will **not** leave you alone when you're like this!"  Meryl jumped to her feet and bent forward until they were almost nose to nose.  "What the **hell** are you trying to do?  Huh?  If it's suicide you're aiming for, tell me and I'll get you a gun so you can go ahead and get it over with!"  She poked a finger into his chest.  "But I'll tell you right now that if you did something as selfish as that you would hurt your brother deeply.  Is that what you want?  Huh?"

"Vash is **dead**, woman!"  Knives shouted, reaching up to grab her by the arms and shake her.  "He's dead…" He said again in a soft, choked voice.

"Wh-what?"  She blinked and stared at him in confusion.  "What are you talking about?  Vash is fine, Knives."

He shook his head hard.  "No, is he **not**!  He isn't **answering**!"  He pushed her away from him again and fell to his side to stare at the wall.  "He isn't answering…"

Shaking her head sharply Meryl moved close again to study his profile with a puzzled frown.  "I don't understand, Knives.  What do you mean by that?"  When he lifted his hand to tap a finger against his temple she thought she understood.  "You can't rely on that, you know.  I just got a letter from Millie and Vash is fine."  She waited, but he gave no reaction.  "Knives…did you hear me?  I said Vash is fine."

"He can't be…he isn't…"

She lightly cuffed him on the side of his head.  "Stupid…I told you, you can't just rely on that mind thing you guys do.  If you want, I can show you the letter…it's even dated a couple weeks ago."  He glanced at her with an oddly hopefully light in his blue eyes.  "There's one condition, though."  He returned to staring at the wall.  "You have to start eating again, okay?  I don't want to have to try explaining to Vash why his brother, who had been well on the road to recovery, died.  Is it a deal?"  She waited a moment as he seemed to weigh his options.  "Knives?"

"Show me the letter…" He shifted and slowly rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling.  "Show me the letter first."

She heaved a deep sigh of relief.  "All right.  I'll be right back, okay?"  He turned his head to watch her hurry from his room, leaving the door open.  


	13. Chapter 0013

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 13 **

****~****

    Knives shifted uncomfortably and finally sighed.  There really was no real reason why he was remaining bedridden.  He was perfectly capable of moving now, so what kept him confined to the blasted bed?  He snorted and slowly sat up.  There was only one explanation and even **he** found it ludicrous.  Shifting until his legs hung over the edge of the bed he shook his head and slowly pushed himself to his feet where he swayed for a moment before he was able to right his balance.  Meryl, he knew, would have a fit if she walked in right now, but he was tired of playing the invalid.  He felt it was time to show her that he was more than capable of moving about on his own.

    A small smile played about his lips, softening the cruel lines of his features.  Personal feelings aside, he could no longer indulge in his strange enjoyment of having the woman fuss over him as she had been since she'd shown him that letter.  He had to admit that he'd been behaving irrationally, but the thought of his brother abandoning him so thoroughly by actually dying had sent him into a spiraling pit of depression that he was hard pressed to explain to himself.  Taking a slow step forward he winced at the residual pain in his legs.  He was nearly healed, but there was a lingering weakness in his limbs that irritated him.  He'd wasted too much time indulging in his nearly forgotten need to be pampered and now was the time to start rebuilding the strength that had been lost with his months of convalescence.  It wouldn't take long, just determination.

    Pressing his palm against the wall for added support he slowly made his way across the short distance to the door and paused to catch his breath.  The muscles in his legs quivered from the exertion and he silently cursed his body's lingering weakness.  Glaring at the closed door for a moment before he closed his eyes he concentrated and smirked in satisfaction as he felt the power rippling through him and across the short distance.  The next instant the creak of the door on its hinges had him opening his eyes, a self-satisfied expression on his features.  It had taken a while, but now that his body was basically healed his mental strength had quickly returned.  "It's about time…" He muttered under his breath as he shuffled forward, leaning heavily against the wall as he moved cautiously through the now open door.

    He paused and looked around himself curiously.  This was the first time he'd actually been outside his room and fully cognizant of his surroundings.  He grimaced and shook his head slowly.  There wasn't much to see beyond a small cluttered living area containing a scuffed table and four uncomfortable looking chairs gathered around it.  Off to his right was the door that led to the lavoratory and beside it another door that he assumed led to another bedroom, Meryl's he presumed.  He shrugged and moved a little further out of the doorway, senses alert to possible discovery.  He tilted his head to the side, the sound of running water reaching his ears and he looked towards the lavoratory once again.  Meryl was probably bathing.  He felt a slight flush creep up his neck at the thought and pushed the mental image of the small woman naked and slick with water from his mind.  He really needed to get out if he was beginning to fantasize about **her**.

    Pushing another door open he blinked at the stabbing pain of brilliant sunlight assaulting his sensitive eyes.  He'd been cooped up so long that it was painful to actually be out in natural daylight.  Wincing, he shifted his weight and lifted a hand to rub at his watering eyes.  "Damn…" He muttered and squinted against the glare.  A rocking chair caught his attention and he moved towards it slowly.  He was in no condition to actually leave at the moment, but he just couldn't stay in his room any longer.  He dropped into the chair and sighed in relief as his aching muscles twitched and threatened to cramp from the recent torment of exertion he'd subjected them to.

    He leaned back in the chair and looked around at his surroundings, blue eyes narrowed against the glare of the twin suns hanging overhead in the sky.  His eyes were slowly adjusting to the bright light shining down on him as he sat on the porch of the small house Vash had brought him to all those months ago.  There were human children playing in the street, their laughter echoing strangely in his ears as he watched them chasing a brightly colored ball around.  His eyes shifted to the other buildings lining the street and the people walking and talking as they slowly made their way along the boardwalks set up at the edge of the street.  It was a peaceful setting, even Knives had to acknowledge that much.  He supposed that, as far as human settlements went, this one wasn't too bad.  He tilted his head to the side in consideration as he sent his senses outwards.  A slight smile curved his lips upwards.  The humans of this small town were looking better with each passing moment.  Maybe he didn't have to hate them **all** after all.  He allowed his head to tilt back as he looked up at the sky.

    "Knives?"  Meryl stepped out onto the porch and looked at him in alarm.  "What are you doing?  You should've waited for me to help you.  What if you fell again?"

    "I'm not a child, Meryl."  He replied softly, slowly closing his eyes.  "There isn't a Plant here…" He murmured as he allowed his smile to grow.  "No Plant…imagine that.  Humans living on their own without a Plant…"

    "I tried to tell you…" She began but he raised a hand, halting the rest of her words.  She looked at him quizzically.

    "It's very peaceful here.  I think I understand why Vash liked it here so much."  He opened his eyes to look up at her.  "I think I'll go in now."  He leaned forward and moved to stand when she stepped forward to help him.  "Thank you…" He murmured softly and cast one last lingering look out at the street and the children playing, their laughter ringing in his ears.  **I wonder…are there others like these humans?  Are there more who are so…so…** He frowned as he searched for the right word to describe what he'd seen in the short time he'd been outside.  **Innocent.  That's it.  They're innocent of the sins of the others.  Perhaps…I was too hasty in my assumptions that they were all parasitic…perhaps…** He frowned slightly and shrugged inwardly.  He had to find more proof before he could form an opinion on the matter.  He glanced over his shoulder one last time before stepping inside out of the suns and smiled.  **Maybe the humans of this town are worthy of Eden…** Glancing down at the small woman tucked against his side he frowned thoughtfully.  **Maybe I'll let them live when I leave this place.**


	14. Chapter 0014

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 14 **

****~****

    Knives leaned back in the comfortable rocking chair, a small smile tugging at his lips, and watched the children as the ran through the street caught up in their game of chasing and kicking a ball.  He was fully healed, able to walk on his own without much effort or strain, but still he lingered.  Somehow, somewhere deep within him and buried within layers of his subconscious, he knew that if he left now he would never be able to recapture the peace he'd come to appreciate in this small town.  The humans here were unlike what he'd envisioned.  They were hardworking, hopeful, filled with a strange sense of honesty that he found refreshing.  He'd even spoken to a few and had been surprised that they actually seemed to have some intelligence as well.  He was afraid that if he left this small, peaceful town, that he'd never be able to find other humans like them.

    "Ah…there you are."  He turned to smile at Meryl as she stepped outside.  "You're moving around a lot better now, Knives.  How are you feeling?"

    "Better."  He turned back to his perusal of the children.  "What is it that they're doing?"  He nodded towards the children with a curious frown.

    "What?  The children?  They're playing a game."  He rolled his eyes and she laughed.  "It's called soccer, Knives.  It's an old game."

    "Soccer…" He murmured softly, filing the information away.  "Interesting."

    A comfortable silence fell between them as he continued to watch the children and their game and she watched him in turn.  Finally she reached out and touched his shoulder.  "Would you like me to give you a haircut?  Your hair's grown quite a bit…" The words trailed off as he turned to look up at her in surprise.  "I mean…um…"

    He shrugged.  "Sure."  He watched as she disappeared into the house only to return with a small table which she placed behind the chair he was sitting in.  A few minutes later she appeared again with a basin in her hands and a towel draped over her arm.

    "Lean back and I'll wash your hair first, okay?  It's easier to cut when it's wet."  He cast her a dubious look but did as she said, slouching down to make it easier for her to reach.  Even with him seated she wasn't much taller than him.  "I wonder when they'll get here…" She murmured softly as she ran her fingers through his hair causing a shiver to run up his spine.  "Millie's last letter never really gave a date, but considering they were in December City and they were heading home…well…it could be any day now, don't you think?"  He made a noncommittal sound in his throat as she gently massaged his scalp, the scent of the shampoo filling his senses.  It actually felt really good.  He was surprised.  He'd never expected that.  "Vash will be happy when he sees that you're up and about now.  You've made an amazing recovery in the amount of time you've been here.  Tilt your head back a bit more please."  He did as she asked silently, closing his eyes and allowing his body to relax.  "Almost done…" She murmured softly as she rinsed the remaining soap from his hair.  "Okay…you can sit up now."  She wrapped the towel around his head and moved around him.  "Hmm…I'll be right back.  I need to get a brush and the scissors, okay?"  He nodded and watched her disappear into the house again.

    He reached up and rubbed the towel against his head, removing the excess water from his hair as he waited for her return.  Tilting his face up to the sky he closed his eyes and sighed in contentment.  He really was happy, more so than he could ever remember.  He felt relaxed and for the first time since he'd reached adulthood, he felt at peace.  No more hate, no more anger…just a sense of quietude and tranquility.  He rather liked the feeling.  He sighed softly and slowly shook his head.  He knew it couldn't last forever, that eventually reality would intrude on the little bubble he currently found himself in, but he wanted to enjoy it for as long as he could.  Soon he would leave this place and go forth into the world again, but instead of seeking destruction he intended to seek positive reinforcement to the new image in his mind of the humans he'd once loathed.  If he could find more humans like the ones in this town, then perhaps he could put an end to his vendetta against the entire race and find the peace his brother had spoken of.  He honestly hoped that he could…he was tired of the hatred and the need for vengeance.

    He was brought out of his thoughts by Meryl's return.  He looked up at her with a slight frown.  "Meryl?"  He asked softly and waited until she looked down at him again curiously.  "Are the humans really like this?"  He waved his hand expansively to take in the town around them.

    "Some are…" She murmured as she frowned thoughtfully.  "Some are good people and some aren't.  Each individual is different, Knives.  The majority of people **are** good, but there are some who aren't."

    "Explain."  He waited patiently as she removed the towel and began running the brush through his still damp hair.

    "Well…" She began slowly, obviously choosing her words with care.  "Let's say you find yourself in a crowded room…" He nodded slowly, envisioning what she was saying in his mind.  "Don't move…" He halted the movement immediately as she tugged gently on his hair.  "For each person in there, there will be someone who has less than pure thoughts, someone who is filled with negativity.  There are people in this world who have lost their way and can't find their way back.  Those are the ones that do things that aren't very nice."  He frowned and twisted to look up at her with a disapproving look.  "What?  What's that look for?"

    "I'm not a child, Meryl.  You don't have to speak to me as if I am."

    She smiled a little sheepishly and shrugged.  "Sorry.  Okay…it's like this…there are outlaws who commit terrible crimes against humanity.  They steal.  They kill.  They do things even worse.  They are evil minded and some of them I doubt could be saved at all.  But Vash believes they can be.  That's why he took the position of sheriff.  Maybe he's right, maybe he's wrong.  I don't know.  I do know that not everyone can be trusted and it's sometimes hard to decide what is right and what is wrong.  There's a thin line between the two.  Not everything is black and white.  There are shades of grey."

    "So…what you're saying is that humans are intrinsically flawed."

    "Of course we are.  That's what makes us human, Knives.  The battle of good versus evil…it's an age old fight that's been in existence since the beginning of time and will continue to the end of time.  But what is evil?  What is good?  How do we know?  It's what our conscience tells us."

    "You make no sense, woman.  Either it is or it isn't."

    "Okay…look at it like this.  Everywhere Vash goes destruction follows.  Cities are destroyed, property damaged and people hurt.  That's bad, right?  So, he's evil."

    He growled and scowled up at her, angered by her lack of belief in his brother.  "Vash isn't…" He began and blinked in surprise when she smiled.  "What?"

    "If you only look on the surface, that's what you'll see.  If you look a little further you'll discover that Vash only wanted to help the people.  The cities were destroyed by others in their quest to capture him, property was damaged as he tried to avoid confrontations that would cause more people to get hurt or even die, and the people who were injured usually did it to themselves.  So…what is good and what isn't?"

    "You logic is…illogical."  He folded his arms across his chest and frowned at the street, eyes following the children as they laughed and ran after their ball.

    "It isn't easy to define, Knives.  Good…bad…beautiful…ugly…it's all in the eye of the beholder."  She wrapped the towel around his shoulders and reached for the scissors.  "Okay…how do you want me to do this?"

    He waved his hand dismissively.  "Whatever you decide.  It makes no difference to me."  He was silent for a while as he listened to the sound of the scissors snipping through his hair and finally sighed.  "So basically you're saying that I have to decide for myself what is good and what isn't."

    "Well…" She sounded a little uneasy and he began to turn again to look at her.  "Don't move."  He halted the movement and sat stiffly staring straight ahead.  "I suppose that's what I'm saying, but still…considering your track record, that could be a little dangerous."  She leaned forward and peered into his face with a frown.  "You haven't been known for restraint in the past, Knives.  I don't want to encourage you to start going around judging people and deeming them good or bad and possibly setting yourself up as judge, jury and executioner all rolled up into one.  Humans are flawed, we're not perfect.  If you have an ideal in your mind of what people **should** be, then you're bound to be disappointed.  We all strive to be the best we can be…just some of us have different views on what that is."

    "You make no sense."  He muttered and closed his eyes.  "I still say that either a person is good or they aren't.  Can't be both, you know."

    "And how would you describe yourself?  From where I stand you could've been considered about as evil as they come…you did very terrible things, Knives.  Yet, I can't say that you're all that bad now…not after you calmed down and started listening, that is.  You're lucky, you know.  You've been gifted with a very long lifespan.  You have the rest of your life to make up for the things you've done and you have the time to do it in.  Us humans aren't so lucky.  Usually we end up dying off before we can make our wrongs right."

    He snorted disdainfully.  "You speak as if I actually regret what I've done."

    "Don't you?"  She asked quietly as she ran her fingers through his hair, reaching back to set the scissors down on the small table beside the basin of water.  He remained silent and she finally sighed.  "I see.  Well, I suppose that's to be expected.  After all, I can't expect you to change after over a century of misdeeds in just a few short months."  She stepped back, her hand falling away.  "There.  All done."


	15. Chapter 0015

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 15 **

****~****

    The wind was picking up, the sound of sand brushing against the exterior of the house echoing loudly in the silence.  It was beginning to sound like a full blown sandstorm was on the way.  He looked out the window and watched as the blue of the sky was quickly obliterated by the dun colored sand as it blew in swirls of tiny granules.  The air was heavy, filled with dust and grit.  The interior of the house darkened to the point where only shadows lingered.  It was gloomy and matched his mood well.

    Ever since his haircut out on the porch and the conversation he'd had with Meryl, she'd been distant, casting disappointed looks in his direction and frankly he was sick of it.  He didn't know what she wanted from him.  He was trying to be more open minded towards humans, but if she couldn't give him a straight answer to his questions, how was he supposed to form an opinion in their favor?  She expected a lot, yet she gave no evidence to substantiate her words.  The intrinsic goodness she professed to exist in humans was an elusive theory with no actual support behind it.  He just didn't understand how she could assume something without proof.

    It was a moral argument.  Yet, in his mind, whose morals were being judged?  His?  Hers?  Legato's?  Steve's?  He just didn't know.  If he were to go by Legato's, then the entire human race was insane and should be put out of its misery.  If he went by Steve's, then humans were bullies and needed to be put in their place.  Meryl's beliefs weren't as naïve as Rem's had been.  She didn't try to tell him that there was good in everyone, but she didn't explain how to determine what was good and what wasn't.  His own beliefs he'd long since began to question in his own mind so he couldn't rely on that anymore either.  Knives found himself well and truly confused and it was beginning to give him a pounding headache.  The storm outside wasn't helping matters either.

    He stood and crossed the short distance to the window to peer outside with a frown.  Meryl looked up and watched him, but didn't speak.  He was just as glad for the continued silence.  He needed time to try to assimilate everything he'd learned since his final confrontation with his brother.  Many things had occurred and most of them left him confused and more than a little lost.  He no longer knew if he'd been right or wrong and to make matters worse, he didn't know how to determine who **was** right or wrong.  He couldn't forgive the humans for their total disregard for the well-being of the Plants in captivity, yet he also couldn't deny that the people in this town were living out their lives without depending on the Plants and therefore his hatred and disgust couldn't encompass them along with the others.  So where did that leave him?  Basically without purpose.

    He blinked and peered out into the swirling sand a little more closely.  He'd thought he'd detected movement.  He narrowed his eyes and concentrated, expanding his consciousness to search beyond the confines of the walls of the house he was in.  With a soft but volatile curse he pushed away from the counter and headed for the door with quick strides.  Meryl stood and watched him with wide eyes.  "Knives?"  She called after him but he ignored her and jerked the door open before stepping out into the maelstrom of wind, sand and grit, narrowing his eyes against the sting of the sand being flung into his face.  Raising his arm, he covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve and moved forward, stepping cautiously to avoid tumbling off the porch since he couldn't see passed his nose in the whirling dust and debris.

    Bracing himself against the force of the wind, he stepped down and moved forward, feet dragging through the sand piling up in small drifts.  Reaching out, he placed his free hand against the side of the house and followed it to the corner.  Pausing, he looked around but found that he couldn't see a thing with the grit blowing around and trying to work its way into his eyes.  Swearing under his breath he sent out his awareness again.  Turning the corner he stumbled against higher drifts and nearly lost his balance.  Three steps, then four…he was almost there… A soft, muffled sound reached his ears over the howling of the wind and he altered his course accordingly to move towards it.  Bending down, he grabbed the small child by the back of her dress and lifted her off the ground and out of the sand drift that had been forming over her prone body.  Pulling her close against him, he pushed her face against his chest to protect her from the sand whipping against them and turned to begin the trek back into the house.

    Coughing against the fine dust working its way passed his arm he stumbled and fell to his knees.  Reaching out as he held his breath, he searched for the side of the house blindly and grimaced when his hand came into contact with nothing.  Covering his face again he stood and continued forward, hoping that he was at least going in the right direction.  It was so hard to tell with the sand swirling around him and obliterating everything in a blinding display of nature's raw power.  He concentrated and focused his awareness again, searching for the house amidst the sand storm he was currently caught in.  Breathing a soft sigh of relief, followed immediately by a bout of coughing, he headed towards where his senses told him the house was.  He grunted in pain when he ran head first into the wall.  Shaking his head he leaned his shoulder against the rough side of the house and followed it back towards the porch and the door.  The sooner he got the child inside, the better.  Her small form couldn't withstand much more of the torture of the wind and sand.  Of course, he wasn't feeling particularly comfortable out in the storm either.

    Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of pushing through the ever growing piles of sand, he found the porch by stumbling against it and falling painfully to his knees on the hard, weathered boards.  It was just a few more feet to the door and then he'd be out of the wind blown sand.  Not bothering to try to stand, he crawled forward awkwardly in the direction he knew to door to be in.  A moment later he felt Meryl's hands on his shoulders as he kicked the door shut.  Spitting out what felt like a mouthful of gritty sand he collapsed to his side.  "Ugh…" He drew in a shallow breath and nearly choked on the sand and dust in the heavy air.  "Take her."  He muttered as he lifted the child towards the small woman and allowed his head to drop back to the floor with a thump.  "I hate sand."  He squinted through the dim light and watched as Meryl set the girl on the floor and bent over her.  "How is she?"

    She glanced over her shoulder at him with a strange smile.  He tilted his head to the side and wondered at the odd expression.  "She'll be fine.  Thanks to you.  You saved her live, Knives."

    "Yeah…well…" He cleared his throat and slowly moved to a sitting position.  "She can have my bed."  He stood and headed towards a much needed bath.  He needed to get the sand and grit off of him.  He felt about as filthy as they come and hated the feeling.


	16. Chapter 0016

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 16 **

****~****

    "Explain to me again what is right and what is wrong.  Tell me again what it is to know the difference.  How do we know which path to follow?  Who sets up the rules to determine the truth?  Who defines what is right and what is wrong?  What is it based on?  How do we know who is right?  Whose words to we believe?  Whose truth do we follow?  What is right for one is wrong for the other.  What is good to one may be bad for another.  Explain it to me please!  Tell me how to know the difference so I can do the right thing1"

    "We must always strive to treat others as we would have them treat us.  If we treat others with respect, then they will be more inclined to treat **us** with respect.  By hurting others, we are really only hurting ourselves in the end.  Do you see it now?"

    "But…what if they still hurt us even if we leave them be?  What then?"

    "Walk away…smile and forgive them and walk away.  It is not up to us to judge…it is not up to us to take revenge for wrongs done against us.  It is better to just walk away and leave those who hurt us be.  Only by doing this can we hope to find the peace we've been searching for so long to find.  Remember…no one has the right to take another's life…no one."

    Knives sat up with a start, heart pounding in his ears as he tried to catch his breath.  He looked around the darkened room wildly for a moment, almost convinced that the woman was in there with him.  After a moment he slowly relaxed as awareness seeped into his panicking mind.  It had been a dream…a frighteningly vivid dream, but just a figment of his overactive mind none the less.  He shivered and fell back against the pillow again.  Why he was dreaming of Rem Saverem now of all times was beyond him.  He'd been unable to buy into her 'love and peace' philosophy when he was a child, having been taught differently at the hands and rough tutelage of Steve.  But he'd wanted to believe at first.  Desperately so, in fact.  He'd wanted so badly to believe that he would find Eden with his brother and Rem and all the other humans sleeping aboard the ships of the Seeds Project…and he'd been disappointed to discover that everything Rem had been teaching them had been a lie.  A horribly cruel lie…

    He sighed and scrubbed his face wearily.  He didn't like remembering the past and found it disturbing that his sleeping mind was forcing him to do it any way.  Now, more so than ever, he believed that he had to leave this peaceful town and search for his own answers.  He needed to find out for himself if he'd been wrong all this time and had committed a grave error…a horrible crime that he had no right to ever ask forgiveness for…or if he'd been right all along and humanity was nothing more than the parasitic organisms he'd claimed them to be.  The truth, he knew, was out there, beyond the boundaries of the bubble the town had created around him.  He had to break through the soft cocoon surrounding him and discover the truth for himself.  Until then, he would never find the peace he sought.

    He knew all this, yet he was still reluctant to leave.  He turned his head and looked at the closed door, his mind seeking the familiar presence of the woman sleeping in her own room.  He smiled and relaxed when his mind touched hers briefly, soft like the caress of a butterfly's wings.  He wouldn't intrude on her thoughts and dreams.  He had no wish to harm her…not after she'd been so kind and caring towards him.  He had no illusions about her motives, though.  She'd done it all for his brother, not for him.  He couldn't fault her for it either.  She'd never tried to hide her feelings towards Vash, though the idiot was too blind to pay attention to it.  He frowned at the train of thought his mind was following.  How could Vash not see how she felt about him?  It was painfully obvious yet his brother continued on as if blissfully ignorant of the depth of her feelings.  He sighed and shook his head, lacing his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling through the darkness.  It was almost painful to watch her sometimes.  She waited patiently for Vash's return, always maintaining her quiet vigilance, but he knew it hurt her deeply the longer he stayed away.  **Vash…you're a moron.**  He sent the thought out to his twin through their telepathic link, not expecting a reply.  His brother still maintained a stony silence, completely shutting him out, even now.

    Knowing this, it came a shock when he **did** receive an answer.  **What did I do now?**

    He almost fell off the bed in his surprise.  **Vash?**  He asked cautiously.

    **What?**  Came the ready answer.  **Why are you calling me names this time, brother?**  There was wary indignation in the thought.

    **Where the hell are you?**  He countered not bothering to hide his irritation…as if he could.  The drawback to communicating in this manner was that emotions couldn't easily be hidden from the receiver of the thoughts.

    **Uh…doesn't matter, does it?  What do want, Knives?**

    He scowled and shook his head, his exasperation clear.  **Never mind.**  He abruptly cut off the conversation and closed his eyes.  At least Vash was speaking to him again.  That was an improvement, even if a small one.  He'd appeared to be closer, too.  Maybe Meryl had been right when she said that Vash and Millie were returning.  He hoped so.  He wanted to see his brother again…at least once…before he left to search for his truths.  


	17. Chapter 0017

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 17 **

****~****

    Knives leaned back in the uncomfortable chair and set the book he'd been trying to read aside to watch Meryl as she moved around the small, cramped space instead.  She was apparently trying to make something to eat, but couldn't seem to decide on what to do first.  He tilted his head to the side in careful consideration as he watched her before finally sighing and leaning forward to rest his arm on the table, hand dangling over the edge with a finger in the book to keep his place.  "What are you doing?"  He asked mildly and raised an eyebrow in surprise when she shrieked, dropping a bowl, and spun to face him, grey eyes wide with panic.

    "Don't **do** that!"  She pressed a hand to her chest and breathed heavily.  "You scared the life out of me!"

    His other eyebrow rose to meet his hairline.  "I didn't do anything."  He countered softly, amusement lighting his usually cold blue eyes.

    "Y-you distracted me."  She bent to retrieve the dropped bowl.  "They'll be here any minute and I have nothing ready…nothing at all!"  She turned to glare at him again.  "You know, you could be helping me, Knives, instead of sitting there wasting time."

    "I'm reading, not wasting time.  Relax, Meryl.  You're working yourself up over nothing."

    "Nothing?  Nothing?!"  He winced as the volume rose again.  "Vash is coming home today and you call that nothing?!"  He watched, fascinated, as her face turned an interesting shade of red.  "Oh never mind."  She finally muttered as she turned back to her task.  "I don't expect you to understand."

    "You should just tell him how you feel and be done with it.  Putting it off isn't going to make it any easier, you know."

    She spun back to face him, her eyes widening even further.  "Wh-what?  What did you say?"  Her voice was a choked whisper.

    He rolled his eyes.  "Oh please.  I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid.  It's plain to see how you feel about him.  Just tell him already.  It's getting irritating watching you mope around for him."  He frowned and shrugged.  "You should've told him a long time ago.  It would've made you feel a lot better."  A slight smirk curved his lips upwards as her face reddened even further.  "Of course, I'm not sure if Plants and humans are biologically compatible.  Our genetic structure is very different after all."

    She spluttered for a moment before finally drawing in a shallow breath.  "Wh-why should that matter to me?"

    "Well, if you're planning on sleeping with him you ought to know what to expect."

    "Who said I was planning on sleeping with him?!"  He winced as her voice rose to nearly a shriek again.  "Of all the—"

    "Sleeping with who?"  Knives smirked some more when her face suddenly paled.

    "Hello, brother."  He turned slightly as he greeted his twin with a smile.  "Have a nice trip?"

    Vash looked from one to another, noting the highly embarrassed flush in Meryl's cheeks and his brother's self-satisfied smirk.  Smiling uneasily, he set his travel bag down.  "Um…did I miss something?"

    "No!"  Meryl shouted, casting an almost desperate look in Knives' direction.  Vash blinked and looked over at his brother.

    He shrugged and held the small woman's gaze intently.  "We were merely discussing genetics, brother dear."  He answered smoothly.  "Very interesting topic, wouldn't you agree Meryl?"

    "Jerk."  She muttered and turned away to busy herself with the preparations for lunch.

    "Okay…genetics, huh?"  Vash shrugged and determined that he'd ask Meryl again later when Knives wasn't around.  Strolling casually across the short distance he draped an arm around her shoulders and leaned forward.  "So…what's for lunch, huh?"  He grinned and gave her a light squeeze before turning back to face his brother.  "So, Knives…have been behaving yous—" The rest of his question was cut off by the dark scowl being directed at him.  "What?"  He shivered at the coldness in his twin's narrowed eyes.  **Whoa…what's your problem?**

    Knives leaned back and forced the sudden anger down before replying to the silent question.  "Nothing."  He set his book on the table and stood.  "I'm going outside.  It's a little stuffy in here."  He cast one last glare at his brother before stepping through the door.  He blinked when he was nearly knocked over by Millie carrying an armload of bags and luggage.  He reached out automatically and took some from her, unburdening her of the awkward load.  "Here, let me."

    Millie blinked and looked up at him in surprise, her lips forming a round 'o'.  "Um…thank you, Mr. Knives."  She smiled brightly and followed him inside.  "Is Mr. Vash with Meryl?"  She asked in a whisper.

    He glanced over his shoulder at her with a frown.  "Yes.  Why?"

    "Oh…no reason.  Just checking, that's all.  She probably missed him and wants a few minutes alone with him, that's all."  She grinned and tossed her hair out of her face with a shake of her head.  "I'll just leave them alone for a while…you know…give them some privacy."

    He gritted his teeth and faced forward again.  "I see.  Where do you want these?"  He was annoyed and not quite sure why.  He glanced into the small kitchen alcove as he passed and scowled when his gaze landed on his brother.  **Idiot.**  He thought ungraciously and snapped his gaze forward again when Vash turned to look at him in surprise.  There was no question in his mind that Meryl wasn't about to confess her true feelings at this point in time and Vash, in his supreme lack of insight, would continue to remain ignorant.  It was all very irritating.  Knives decided that he definitely had to leave before he acted on impulse and did bodily harm to his brother.  He liked Meryl and didn't like seeing her suffer because of his twin's stupidity.


	18. Chapter 0018

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 18 **

****~****

    Knives sighed and shook his head wearily.  He'd been wandering through the desert for so long he couldn't keep track of the time anymore.  He'd come across other human settlements and, like the town he'd recuperated in for close to a year, he'd found good people.  Kind, caring and generous…willing to help others who were in need of it.  He smiled a little at the memories of cheerful welcomes and smiling faces.  They had been good people.  His smile faded a little and he shook his head again.  There were others that hadn't been as friendly, though.  He ran a hand through his hair and sighed again.  He hadn't come to any conclusions yet.  He needed to see more before he could decide one way or another.

    He studied the position of the suns and determined that he should begin searching for a suitable place to make camp for the night.  He pressed a hand against the canteen hanging at his waist and shook it, listening to the sound of water sloshing.  If he was conservative, he'd have enough water to last another day…maybe.  He needed to find another town to replenish his supplies before the end of the next day.  He patted his pocket and was rewarded by the distinctive crinkle and jingle of money.  He'd been able to eke out a meager living by doing odd jobs here and there, barely enough to survive, but it suited his purposes at the moment.

    He lowered his hand a bit and smiled when his fingers touched the black gun at his side.  Vash probably hadn't expected him to find it again, but he'd forgotten that Knives had made the guns in the first place.  Of course he'd be able to find it.  It was like his sibling…a part of him.  There was no way he could **not** find it, no matter where Vash may have it hidden.  Then again, his brother hadn't been particularly imaginative in choosing his hiding place either.  Knives shook his head in slight disgust.  "Who hides a weapon in their underwear drawer?"

    So far he'd been lucky and had been able to avoid discovery by his brother and the two 'Insurance girls'.  He hated to admit it, but he missed Meryl and her argumentative ways.  He wasn't certain if he missed Millie, though.  Frankly, he hadn't been around her long enough to decide if he even liked the woman.  Tilting his head to the side as he spotted a likely place to make camp he considered the tall woman.  She was cheerful enough, friendly even, and he had a feeling she was one of those humans that was actually genuine in her emotions.  He supposed he could like her, too.

    He'd been very careful to not leave an obvious trail for them to follow as he made his way across the desert in his quest to discover the truth about human nature.  It was difficult to remember his new determination, however, when humans made it so difficult to like them.  His expression hardened as he remembered the incident from the week before.  The men had obviously been in the wrong, shooting their weapons around wildly and endangering the citizens of the small town he'd been in.  He'd been irritated that the men didn't seem to be aware that there were children around them.  But what had infuriated him was that no one…not a single person in the whole damned town…seemed capable of moving to stop them.  It had been disgusting to see.  Grown men cowering in fear, ignoring the screams as women and children scattered for their lives as the wild bunch had continued to take pot shots at them, laughing the whole time.  Naturally, he couldn't just ignore it.  So, he'd done what he felt was the right thing and stepped in.  He winced remembering the sheriff's reaction to his interference.  The entire incident left a bitter taste in his mouth.  Obviously that wasn't a good example of the inherent goodness in people.  He'd gladly left the town behind as he continued on his journey of discovery.

    As he settled on the sand and leaned against the rocks forming a natural shelter from the constant wind of the desert world he sighed and closed his eyes.  He was tired.  More weary than he could remember ever being before.  He wondered idly if this was how Vash had felt for all those years as he wandered alone through the world.  He shivered and tried to push the thought aside, but it continued to nag at him, filling his mind with thoughts of his brother and the pain he must have endured each time he'd been rejected by the humans he loved so much.  Unlike Vash, he wasn't stupid enough to let them shoot him full of holes, though.  Sure, it pained him to be shunned as had happened on more than one occasion, but under all the anger that had been directed at him he'd sensed the fear and weariness in the people.  Strangers, they'd discovered the hard way during their short lifetimes, were not to be trusted.  He didn't hold it against them as he would have a year ago, but at the same time he didn't feel quite magnanimous enough towards them to allow them to cause him physical harm.  So, he'd done what he had to do to ensure his continued survival.  He smiled a little, knowing his brother would be happy to know he'd exercised some restraint and hadn't killed any of them for shooting at him.  Wounded them, yes, but nothing life threatening.  Of course he knew that if he'd left corpses in his wake it would lead his brother to him faster than if he sent up a flare announcing his location.  He wasn't quite ready to be found yet and so he'd continue to merely shoot to wound and not kill…but eventually the time would come where he'd have no choice but to kill the irritating humans that buzzed around him with loaded weapons that just happened to go off in his direction.

    It all was very frustrating.  Here he was, trying really hard to find a reason to **not** kill the humans who'd done so much to make him hate them, and they were working equally hard to give him a reason to continue hating them.  He shook his head at the blatant stupidity surrounding him.  Didn't they realize just how dangerous a game they were playing?  He snorted disdainfully.  Of course not.  They had no idea what he really was.  They looked at him and all they saw was another human to use for target practice.  There were times when he dearly would love to explain to them exactly what they were up against, that rather than a mere human he was a superior being with powers beyond their wildest imaginings.  He looked up at the sky and watched as the first moon made its way into the sky.  Then again, if he were to do that, it would defeat his ultimate purpose and probably cause more harm to his goal than good.  By allowing the humans to know that Plants could exist outside the bulbs they placed them in it could cause mass panic and end up in the total annihilation of the other Plants currently still at the mercy of their human keepers.  He shuddered at the thought.  That definitely wouldn't do.  He would have to continue exercising patience as he moved from town to town through the desert wasteland that made up the planet.


	19. Chapter 0019

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 19 **

****~****

    Knives glanced up at the lopsided sign swinging lazily overhead in the constant wind that bombarded the town ahead of him.  "Kern…" He squinted at the faded lettering and tilted his head to the side.  "Kernel…ah…I see."  He shrugged and continued on his way, studying the deserted streets warily.  He knew there were people here, had sensed them before he'd even entered the town itself, but they appeared to be in hiding for some unknown reason.  He wondered if it was another of those circumstances where the humans lived in constant fear of raids by other humans.  It was disturbing, really, how frequently that occurred.  "No more war…no more stealing…a veritable Eden.  Yeah…right."  Rem's teachings came back to haunt him at the oddest times, such as now.

    He stopped beside the well and peered over the edge with a frown.  He couldn't smell water, but that didn't mean it wasn't there…just perhaps further down inside the dark interior.  Raising his hand, he flicked a loose pebble over the edge and listened intently.  It took a rather long time for it to hit the bottom with a soft, echoing splash.  Straightening, he looked around himself at the buildings in disrepair.  It appeared the humans didn't much care what their environment looked like.  He frowned and shook his head.  He'd found many settlements like this one.  The people had just given up and continued to exist, not really living at all.  They moved around like puppets, enacting a strange play that was their life, not really caring at all what went on around them.  Their apathy was clear to see.  With no hope, they had no actual reason to try and when they'd come to that realization they'd just given up entirely.  They ate, they drank, they slept…but that was it.  They went through the motions of living beings, but inside they were already dead, like their life had been sucked out of them by the dry environment they lived in.  Knives found it all very disturbing to see.

    The silence was almost deafening as he continued with his inspection of the quiet town.  There was one street and it was lined with rickety buildings looking like they were ready to fall down at any moment.  He suspected that one large gust of wind would knock everything over like a set of dominoes.  There was a stable that proclaimed in faded lettering that there were Thomas' for rent and feed to be had for the small fee of one double dollar per bucket.  He wasn't certain if that was a fair and reasonable price, but decided that it wasn't worth his time to worry about it.  He had no intention of going anywhere near the loathsome beasts.  On the opposite side of the street was what remained of the sheriff's office and jail.  He winced, wondering if Vash had happened into this town in the past.  The jail was nothing but an empty shell of blackened material, the roof caved in and the walls crumbling.  Obviously nothing would be held in **those** cells any time soon.

    Continuing along the street he looked from side to side, building to building, his uneasiness growing.  The saloon's double batwing doors hung crooked, one side nearly falling off its hinges as it squeaked in protest as the wind rocked it to and fro.  The windows with the bold lettering were broken, the words nearly impossible to read through the jagged edges of the shattered glass.  A barber shop with its distinctive red and white pole, broken in the middle and leaning across the warped planks of the boardwalk, had lost its door and windows and stood open to the elements, a knee high drift of sand in the doorway.  He shook his head and frowned thoughtfully.  He knew there were people here, but where were they?  He could feel their eyes following his moves yet no one appeared to challenge him or welcome him.  It was all very odd.

    A general store, the remains of its goods scattered across the floor haphazardly.  An inn, the doors gone and the once welcoming interior dark and silent, the carpet on the floor faded and tattered.  A post office with its darkened windows partially boarded, the door broken, its splinters sticking outwards grotesquely.  Across the street stood a sand steamer station, abandoned, the sign lying in the sand in front of the creaking doors.  He crossed the street slowly and stopped to peer into the dim interior.  Nothing.  Not even a left over piece of luggage left behind by some forgetful passenger.  Something had happened here, that much was obvious, but what it had been was as of yet beyond his ability to decipher.  Everywhere he looked was desolation and a sense of abandonment.  He shook his head and looked towards the few houses left standing.  They looked equally abandoned and unlived in, curtain-less windows peering back at him in silent accusation.  He blinked in surprise and tilted his head to the side.  Accusation?  What would make him think that suddenly?  Until he'd read the sign he'd never heard of the town of Kernel before.

    The one remaining building that he had yet to approach was a church, its steeple rising up into the sky like a silent sentinel standing guard over the flock it could no longer call to its services with the silent bell hanging in its peak.  He approached it slowly, eyes moving over the small cemetery sitting beside it with the mounds of sand slowly sinking and the cracked and faded crosses silent testament to the mortality of the humans who had lived and died there.  No flowers adorned the graves, no offerings to the people who rested peacefully beneath the blowing sand, their bones slowly withering away to the dust surrounding them.  The small fence surrounding the graveyard was falling down in some places, the boards weathered, the paint faded to an ugly nondescript grey.  Wood was precious on this barren and dry planet, so it had taken a lot of effort to create the fence standing before him in waves of rickety guard duty with dried clumps of tumbleweed and sagebrush pressed against it, sand forming drifts that put even more strain on the flimsy barrier.  It was only a matter of time before the planet claimed the meager offering into its bosom once again.

    Turning his attention back to the church he sighed softly.  The people he'd sensed were inside, peering out at him fearfully.  He couldn't see them, but he could **feel** them, their thoughts whispering at the edge of his mind.  They were all silently willing him to leave, to ignore them, to pass by without noticing that they existed.  A part of him wanted to approach the doors and throw them open, confront the humans cowering in terror within the sacred confines of the house to honor their god, and demand to know what had happened.  And yet another part of him cringed away, not wanting to know, not wanting to discover the reason behind the desolation he'd witnessed in the tiny, dying town of Kernel.  This is what he'd predicted to his brother all those years ago.  Humanity was on a course of self-destruction and it was only a matter of time before they destroyed themselves and disappeared from the universe, only to be remembered by those left behind…the Plants they had used and abused, raping their power and sucking the life out of them for their own selfish needs.

    He turned away from the church and began to slowly walk away.  "Sometimes…" He whispered softly, the hot wind capturing the words and tugging them away across the barren landscape over the dunes stretching towards the horizon.  "Sometimes I hate being right."  


	20. Chapter 0020

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 20 **

****~****

    Knives pondered what he'd discovered as he walked steadily over the shifting sands, topping one dune only to see another just ahead and chewed thoughtfully on the chunk of dried jerky in his hand.  Humans were frail creatures, not unlike the spider's he'd compared them to in his youth.  They were easily crushed, ground into the sandy soil beneath them with hardly any effort at all.  Their hopes and dreams were just as easily crushed, though not nearly so easily broken as their bodies.  He'd learned that no matter how abused their flesh was, how bowed their backs became from the strain, they would continue to toil until their fingers bled and their faces wrinkled, their lives seeping out of them to be absorbed by the sandy soil they were tending, urging withered and grotesque vegetation to grow.  Their bodies died, but their dreams lived on, their offspring continuing in their labors and quest for survival.

    It was like the spider he'd watched during his time of recovery.  Against all odds the tiny creature would make its way across the cracked and peeling ceiling, pause to rest and then continue on undaunted by the monumental task of merely getting from one point to another.  Then, despite fatigue, it would spin and spin and continue spinning, creating a beautiful tapestry of silken strands that made up its web.  Dust would gather, weigh it down, but still the spider continued to build it, reinforcing it until it could withstand the weight of the added dust on the glittering threads.  On and on it went, spinning its web, creating its home, striving for survival.  It never stopped, never seemed to give up hope completely no matter how often fate would tear down sections of that web and force it to backtrack and rebuild.

    Humans, he decided, were just like spiders after all.  His lips curved upwards into a smile as he purposely sent the thought to his twin.  **Did you hear that, brother?  Humans ARE just like spiders!**  He broke the connection immediately.  Let Vash puzzle it out on his own.  Knives was busy.  He needed to get to the next town before sundown so he could find an inn and get himself a room.  He felt like indulging a little and pampering himself with a bath, a soft bed with clean sheets, and a warm meal.  "Maybe some wine…" He murmured and bit into the jerky again.

    He'd been traveling for so long, many months beneath the blistering suns, existing only to find the answers to the questions tumbling around in his mind, that now that he was closing in on a breakthrough of understanding, he wasn't quite sure how to deal with it.  Humans and spiders both possessed the will to survive.  He had witnessed that will countless times in the towns and cities he'd passed through during his journey, but he had also seen how it had become twisted and turned into something grotesque, like a bloated spider just waiting to inject its poison into an unsuspecting victim.  He shuddered and stuck the remainder of his jerky back in the pack strapped around his waist before reaching for his canteen.  Sipping the water sparingly he pondered that train of thought.  Just like the industrious spider, there were varieties that were poisonous and not to be trusted amongst the humans as well.  Those were the ones who preyed on the weak and took without a thought to those they left behind.  They were the humans that reminded him bitterly of Steve and he hated them with every fiber of his being.  They were the ones that he longed to crush, just like that spider he'd killed over a century before in the recreation room with Vash and Rem watching.  They were ugly and filled with hate, just waiting to exploit the weakness they found in others.

    Then there were humans like Meryl.  She wasn't ugly at all.  She was like the industrious spider, spinning a web of beauty in an otherwise ugly world.  Millie, too.  Her innocence hadn't been tainted by the ugliness surrounding her and she remained blissfully ignorant of the shadows around her, choosing instead to only see the light and beauty.  She was interesting in that respect.  At first he'd taken her innocence to be blatant stupidity, but now he could see it for what it was.  It was a strange and beautiful gift that she possessed in her ability to see the goodness around her and remain untainted by the evil that rested beside it.  Meryl, on the other hand, saw it all.  Yet, despite that, she didn't allow the shadows to touch her.  She remained radiant and full of hope and the bright light of freedom still shone in her eyes.  At least it had the last time he'd seen her before he left for his journey of self-discovery.

    He thought he was beginning to see what his brother had been trying to tell him for a hundred and thirty years.  Vash had tried to show him the way, but he'd refused to be led.  Now he was regretting his decision to remain isolated and harbor his hatred towards humanity.  If he would've listened to his brother, he could have learned all of this long before now.  He still wasn't completely convinced that Vash had been right about everything, but he was willing to admit that neither had he.  He'd been wrong about many things and he could admit, even if it was only to himself, that his actions were wrong.  Humans didn't need to be eliminated to bring out the beauty of Eden.  If only they could be convinced to stop exploiting the captive Plants and set them free.  If the humans would do that, then Knives could lay his past plans for their destruction to rest.  He would gladly live peacefully with the humans he'd once hated and work with them to create the Eden Rem had told him of.  However, this would only come to be once his brethren were free as well.  Until then, he couldn't see a possibility for the future his brother wanted.  It just wouldn't work if there weren't freedom and equality for all, not just a few.  


	21. Chapter 0021

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 21 **

****~****

    Knives was rather pleased with his find.  He laced his hands behind his head and grinned as his eyes moved over the shining object rising up towards the sky before him.  He was more than just pleased…overjoyed would be much better description of what he was currently feeling.  He never thought he'd ever find something like this, not this well preserved at least.  It appeared his luck was changing for the better after all.  Closing his eyes he focused his attention and sighed happily when he felt the presence of another Plant deep within the large structure.  **I'm coming, don't worry.**  He reassured her gently and stepped forward slowly, opening his eyes to study the large, sand pitted door before him.  Judging by the marks marring the surface others had been here before him and tried in vain to force the door to open.  "Pitiful."  He muttered and shook his head as he brushed sand away from the cover of a control panel set to the side.  Removing the lid he peered at the keys and blinking display for a moment before typing in a simple command.  With a rumbling screech the door slid open to reveal a pristine interior untouched by the desert or time.  "Impressive."  He stepped forward, inside the cool interior, and listened to the door grind shut behind him.

    As much as he wanted to explore the interior of the amazingly preserved ship, he had important business to attend to.  His sister needed him and he intended to free her before satisfying his curiosity.  Making his way unerringly towards the Plant chamber he smiled, running his hand along the sterile steel of the wall.  It was clean and cool inside the ship.  He wondered how it had remained intact for all these years, obviously untouched by the humans it had carried from afar to land on this planet.  Pausing at the door to the chamber housing the other Plant he frowned thoughtfully.  It didn't make much sense to him.  After the crash landing, the humans had tried to salvage everything from the ships that they could, yet this ship remained whole.

    Stepping through the door he looked up at the bulb and smiled.  **Sister…it won't be long now.  I'll have you out of your prison soon.  I promise.**  Soft light greeted his silent reassurances as he crossed to the control panel and studied the readouts intently.  "Hmm…interesting."  The Plant was in perfect condition.  She hadn't been strained by the taxing demands of humans draining her energy for over a century.  She'd maintained the ship's power at a steady low, wisely conserving her strength, until he'd arrived.  He looked up at her with a slight frown.  He wasn't certain how to go about freeing her without compromising the ship itself.  He wished to keep the ship in working order, yet he also wished to free his sister.  He found himself to been in a bit of a quandary.  There had to be a way to do both…he just wasn't seeing it yet.

    Stepping away from the control panel, he approached the bulb and pressed his hands against the smooth material.  It was warm, a contrast to the refreshing cool of the room.  Resting his forehead against the bulb he closed his eyes and concentrated.  **Sister…how do I do this?**  He asked softly, conveying his concerns and wishes along with the thought.

    The answer was swift in coming.  Until now, the other Plants had been reluctant to speak to him, choosing instead to remain aloof from their free-born brother and keeping the contact to a minimum.  He'd often wondered if Vash had the same trouble communicating as he did.  Somehow he doubted it.  Everyone loved his twin and trusted him implicitly, including the other Plants, it seemed.  **Young brother…** He smiled at the gentle tone she used.  **The energy you need is all around you.  Free me and I will show you the way.**

    He stepped back and nodded.  Frowning thoughtfully he studied the bulb itself.  The access door was at the bottom of it for if the technicians needed to do any repairs or adjusting.  Crouching down, he studied it for a moment before opening it.  First, he had to cease all drain of the Plants energy lest they both get caught in a backlash of power.  He had no desire to be electrocuted at this point, not when he was so close to achieving the answers he'd sought for so long.

    An hour later the lights flickered off leaving the room in total darkness.  He sighed and slowly shuffled closer to the bulb again.  **Sister…are you ready to come out?**

    **Yes, young brother…I am ready.**  There was definite excitement in her tone now.  It suddenly occurred to him that she had never been out of her bulb in all the years of her existence.  He hoped the shock wouldn't be to much of a strain on her.  Running his hands along the smooth exterior of the bulb he followed the curve down to the bottom again and fumbled until the access panel finally opened again.  The opening should be large enough for the Plant to escape through…at least he hoped it would be.  Grasping the warm handles he tugged, grunting with the effort it took to rip it free of its moorings.  He heard a thump from inside the bulb and squinted in the darkness before giving up trying to see.  Without light it was impossible.  **Brother…how far is it to the floor?**

    **Not far…maybe three feet.**  He set the panel aside and moved closer again.  **I am here…I won't let you fall.**  Crouching beneath the opening, he reached up and felt warm hands brush his own.  He smiled.  This was the first time he'd been in contact with another Plant with the exception of his brother.  **Legs first, sister.**  He could hear her shifting around to do as he told.  Slowly, she lowered herself through the opening and he was there to catch her as she emerged.  **That's it…just a little more…** He grunted in pain when she inadvertently kicked him in the chest.  Reaching up, he was able to grasp her around the waist and guide her the rest of the way out.  Helping her to sit on the cool floor, he shrugged out of his coat and placed it around her shoulders before grasping the smooth column of the flashlight he'd found amongst the tools he'd needed to free her from the drain on her energy.  Flicking it on he blinked in the sudden light and pointed the beam towards the ceiling.  He had to get them out of the ship while the batteries lasted in the flashlight.  Once it went out, he doubted he'd remember the way.  It suddenly occurred to him that without power, the doors wouldn't open easily.  Shrugging he stood and looked down at his freed sister.  "Can you walk?"  He asked softly with a smile.  She nodded slowly and frowned as she moved to her feet.  He understood immediately.  "Speech will come later, sister."  Taking her hand, he guided her through the corridors of the ship back to the entrance.    


	22. Chapter 0022

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 22 **

****~****

    "Emily?"  Knives called out in exasperation.  He'd decided to give his sister a name and since she didn't seem to have a preference he'd deemed 'Emily' to be sufficient.  That had been the name of the child he'd saved from the sandstorm.  It hadn't taken Emily long to master the power of speech, but her curiosity in her surroundings was a constant source of frustration for him.  It was difficult to remember that she was the elder of the two when she wandered around like a child delighting in a new toy.  "Emily, where are you?"  He called again as he stood, intending to search in the direction he'd last seen her wandering.

    "Knives-brother!"  She appeared suddenly and smiled brightly, smoky blue eyes twinkling happily as the wind blew locks of her platinum blond hair across her ageless face.  "Why are there no humans here?"

    He sighed and shook his head.  "The humans have their own settlements far from here.  When we are finished our task, we will go see them.  I've told you this, Emily."  She wrinkled her nose and turned away with a flounce.  He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.  If one were to judge by her, it could easily be forgotten that they were beings of superior intellect and strength.  If he had to choose an actual term for her behavior, he'd have to say she was displaying an alarming tendency towards being a Plant equivalent of a human airhead.  "Probably get along great with Vash and Millie."  He muttered under his breath before running his fingers through his hair in frustration.  "Emily…" He began and sighed when he saw her crouched down and staring intently at the ground.  "What are you doing?"

    "Watching the ants."  She responded immediately as she tilted her head to the side.  "They're so small…and busy…and…"

    "Yes, Emily."  He sighed and slowly counted back from ten to regain his hold on his patience.  "They're busy.  Ants are always busy.  They build and they gather food and they keep building…"

    "Just like humans?"  She looked up and smiled.  "Humans are like ants.  Interesting."

    "Uh…" He turned away to stare out over the endless iles of sand stretching towards the horizon.  He was going to have to take her to a human settlement soon so she could see for herself what they were like.

    She looked down at the ants marching single file again.  Reaching down, she picked one up between two fingers and squinted at it before squishing it.  She blinked in surprise and stared at the smear of ant on her fingers for a moment before tears filled her eyes and glittered on her lashes before slowly trickling down her pale cheeks.  "Are humans as easily squashed, Knives-brother?"

    He blinked and shook his head sharply.  "Emily, we've been through this.  You can't squash all the humans."  He sighed and scowled.  "I can't believe I'm actually saying this…" He muttered and shook his head again before turning back to her.

    "I know…" She looked up at him and sniffled loudly.  "I'm sorry, Knives-brother."

    Knives knelt in the sand beside her.  "Emily?  What's wrong?  Why are you crying?"  He hated to see his sister so sad.  It was like looking at a small puppy that just got kicked and somehow he felt as if he had been the one doing the kicking.

    "I-I…" She whimpered softly and sniffled again.  "I squished the ant!"  She wailed and threw herself at him.

    The air whooshed out of him at the impact and he fell heavily to his backside in the sand.  "It's okay, sister.  It was an accident, right?"  He placed his arms around her awkwardly and patted her back soothingly.  He grunted when her grip tightened and felt his ribs creak from the pressure.  "Emily…" He was finding it difficult to draw in a breath with the way she was squeezing him so tightly.  "Emily-sister…you're holding too tight."

    She released him immediately.  "Oops…I forgot.  Sorry!"  She grinned at him and moved away to stand.  "Let's finish the rest of the solar panels, okay?  I want to sleep in the ship tonight."

    He shook his head in wonder at the rapid change in her mood.  "You're just like Vash."  He smiled and stood to follow her back to the reflective panels they'd been assembling before she'd gotten sidetracked.

    "When will I get to meet Vash-brother?  He sounds nice.  Is he like you?  Where is he?"  She knelt and began to deftly move the large panels close so he could finish welding them together.  "Do you think he'll like me?"  She looked up with a worried frown.

    "Of course he will.  Vash likes everyone."  He snorted and moved the wand with its small flame over the metal.  "Look away, Emily."  He reminded her gently as the sparks flew around them.

    "Oh…yeah.  I forgot."  She smiled sheepishly and lifted the finished product to set it aside and moved more panels into its place, seemingly unaffected by the weight of the solar receptors.  "Are we almost finished, Knives-brother?"

    He paused in his task and shook his head.  "Yes, Emily.  Exercise some patience, please."

    "But I want to be done **now**!  It's hot out here and my skin feels all tingly and the suns hurt my eyes and I'm hungry and thirsty and…"

    He held up his hand.  "Ten minutes, Emily.  It'll only be another ten minutes if you stop chattering and get busy."

    "Okay.  No problem.  Leave it to me!"

    He sighed and shook his head slowly.  The project shouldn't have taken much more than a day or two, yet with Emily's seeming inability to keep her mind on one thing at a time, the work had stretched out into four days.  He couldn't really fault his sister since this was her first time out of the bulb she'd been trapped in for her entire life, but still…it was frustrating.  He was finding it increasingly difficult to remember that she was older than he was, by at least fifty years if the data he'd read before extracting her had been accurate.  He was reminded suddenly of Millie Thompson.  He smiled and turned his attention back to the solar panels he was joining together.  Emily was innocent like her, untainted by the ugliness of the world around her.  He hoped she could stay the way she was.  It was irritating at times, but he'd rather put up with her childish antics that have to deal with her tears of grief and betrayal.  He never wanted his sister to have to endure what he'd gone through.

    "Knives-brother…" He looked up at her hesitant tone and tilted his head to the side to show that he was paying attention.  "Will we be able to free the other Plants?"

    "I hope so.  If this works…" He indicated the solar receptors they had already completed.  "Then there shouldn't be a problem."

    "Then we'll be able to create Eden and everyone will be happy, right?"

    "Yeah…that's the idea…" He frowned, still plagued by doubts.  Truthfully, he wasn't certain the humans would be receptive to the idea of giving up their only source of energy for another one.  Humans were funny that way, he'd discovered.  They much preferred to stay with what they knew, even if they didn't fully understand it, rather than embrace something different and unknown.  He only hoped that he could convince them otherwise.  With a different source of power, the solar panels, they would no longer need to drain the Plants to sustain their lives.  That way, the Plants could be freed and no longer have to suffer.

    "Knives-brother…" He shook himself from his thoughts and looked up at her again.  "We could also harness the energy of the wind, you know."  He tilted his head to the side in consideration before nodding slowly.  "Wind power combined with solar power would more than compensate for the loss of Plant power, don't you think?"

    "Absolutely, Emily."  He grinned and turned back to his task.  There was so much to do and he found himself becoming filled with excitement.  The future was beginning to look brighter and better with each passing moment.  He was glad he'd stumbled across the abandoned ship and his sister.  Without her, he'd still be clueless as to how to free the Plants without killing all the humans.  "Thank you, Emily."

    "For what?"

    "For renewing my hope."

    "Oh.  You're welcome."    


	23. Chapter 0023

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 23 **

****~****

    Knives glanced up at the sky to check the position of the suns and sighed.  He had plenty of daylight left, yet he was beginning to feel the strain of months of travel through the endless sea of sand.  He was getting to the point where he no longer felt the need to continue on his journey of discovery.  He felt that he had learned all that he could and could now form an opinion, yet something in him kept pushing him to continue walking, to move from town to town, city to city.  He didn't know what was now driving him, but he was hard pressed to just stop and stay in one place.

    He felt a small twinge of guilt when he thought of Emily, but only a small twinge.  She was more than capable of taking care of herself…he'd seen to it.  After they'd managed to reroute the power and connected the wiring for the solar receptors, he'd discovered that the ship's computers remained amazingly intact, including the memory banks and all the information on Earth and the human's origins.  Emily's insatiable curiosity had led her to absorbing as much of the information available as she could.  He'd also learned something very interesting.  Emily hadn't been a normal Plant.  He frowned and shook his head.  She'd been free-born, just like Vash and himself, before the humans had placed her in the bulb.  His discovery explained how it had been possible to free her in the first place as well as her human-like appearance.

    Reaching for his canteen he pondered all that he'd learned from the ship's computers.  It appeared the humans had experimented with Plant DNA, splicing it with their own and creating something altogether different in the end.  He was fascinated by the discovery while at the same time repulsed.  From what he'd learned, Emily, Vash and himself were hybrid Plants…unique and extremely adaptable.  Of course, he knew that part already.  What bothered him, however, was the fact that they appeared to be 'failed' experiments.  He wondered if Rem had known the truth and if she had, why hadn't she told them about it?

    He wasn't sure how he felt about being part human, if only in his genetic structure.  Two years ago he would've been appalled.  Now, he was merely curious.  If they contained human genes, did that mean Vash and himself would eventually grow old and die like the humans?  If so…when?  How long could they expect to live?  He didn't even know how long Plants lived so he couldn't form a theory with the new information he now had.  He knew Vash would be delighted with the discovery that they had more in common with the humans, yet he was reluctant to inform his brother of his recent discovery.  He had a feeling there was something he was missing, something very important, but he was unable to grasp what it could be.  He decided that he wouldn't worry about it at the moment.  He'd discovered over the course of his lifetime that when there was a problem that seemed impossible to decipher that it was often best to turn his mind to something else.  More often than not the answers would come to him when he least expected it.

    He squinted against the glare of the suns on the nearly white sand and raised his hand to shield his eyes.  Through the shimmering heat waves he thought he could see clusters of buildings in the distance.  He judged the distance to be an ile, two at most.  He needed to replenish his supplies and that appeared to be as good a place as any to do it.  He only hoped it wasn't one of the 'unfriendly' human settlements.  He'd discovered in recent weeks that this particular part of the planet held many of the venomous humans he disliked so much interspersed with the odd few that were industrious and admirable.  He would have to take his chances and discover for himself which dwelled in the distant town.

    It took nearly an hour of steady walking to finally reach the outskirts of the town he'd spotted.  The heat waves had created an illusion of nearness that left him feeling frustrated and grumpy.  All he wanted was to find an inn and have a bath to rid himself of the past few days travel grime that had accumulated followed by a decent meal and a good night's sleep.  Of course, if there was anything he'd learned over the last hundred and thirty-two years, it was that things seldom went the way he wanted and this was, obviously, no different.

    No sooner had he stepped onto the boardwalk lining the front of the inn than he became aware of a disturbance just up the street.  He frowned in the direction, thinking that it was another case of drunken disorderliness and blinked in surprise when he caught sight of a familiar tall form struggling in the center of the mob of angry people.  "Damn…" He muttered and shook his head, hurrying across the street and pushing his way through the crowd.  "Millie?"  He pushed the angry townspeople aside and held them at bay by drawing his gun.

    "M-Mr. Knives?!"  She gasped and stared at him in shock.  "Is that really you, Mr. Knives?"

    "Who else would it be?"  He scowled and searched the crowd for his brother.  "Where is Vash?"

    "I don't know!  We got separated while searching for Meryl and then I came into this town and then I was accused of something I didn't do and then they…" The steady stream of words halted when he raised a hand.  "I don't know where Vash is, Mr. Knives."

    "I see."  He turned his attention to the crowd again.  "What did she do?"

    "She stole my Thomas!"  Came the immediate angry reply and Knives wrinkled his nose at the mention of the ugly overgrown chicken-like creature.  "That's a hangin' offense, mister!  If ya want to join the thievin' bitch, then by all means!"  The crowd surged forward again.

    Knives sighed and shook his head, raising the gun and cocking back the hammer.  "Where is the evidence?"  He asked in a deceptively mild tone after he gently squeezed the trigger, aiming the muzzle at the sky.

    "Don't need no evidence!  She's the only stranger to come into town in the last week, 'sides yerself, and that's all the proof I need."

    "Has it occurred to you that maybe your beast wandered off on its own?"  He watched as several of the angry expressions changed to bewilderment.  He shook his head again.  "Of course not.  Why would I assume that you would use a modicum of intelligence in a situation when a woman's life was hanging in the balance?"  His lip curled in disgust.  "Ignorant swine…you're revolting.  Are your lives so meaningless that you have to take out your pitiful insecurities on an innocent bystander whose only crime was accidentally wandering into your pathetic excuse for a town?"

    Millie's eyes widened in a mixture of shock, admiration and fear.  "Mr. Knives…" She whispered in a wavering tone and shifted closer to him as some of the men raised their weapons in a threatening manner, their faces reddening in fury.  "I don't think you should say such things at a time like this…"

    "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill every one of you disgusting wastes of flesh."  He ignored Millie's frightened whimper and glared at each of the men surrounding them.  "If your brand of justice is to be served, wouldn't that do?  If all you want is to see the color of blood and experience the thrill of violence, I'd be more than happy to oblige."  He lowered the gun to aim at the men in the crowd randomly.  "Who will be first?"  He smirked when several backed up quickly, raising their hands in an obvious gesture of surrender.  "You're all disgusting, parasitic organisms thriving on destroying everything surrounding you.  Destroying you would rid this planet of a few more examples of why humans have no right to exist."

    "Mr. Knives…please don't kill them!"  Millie squeaked when his cold gaze settled on her briefly.  "I mean…"

    "You're willing to overlook their crimes against you?  Stupid human…if I wouldn't have stepped in they would have killed you.  Do you honestly believe they would have felt even a moment of guilt for that?"  He snorted and squeezed the trigger again, sending a shot into the sandy ground at the feet of the men closest to them, causing them to leap back, faces pasty white in their terror.  "Not so brave now that you have a 'victim' that will fight back are you."  He sent three more shots into the dust at their feet.  "Run.  Make it more interesting."  He laughed, a cold, humorless sound, and watched as they scattered.  "I'll even give you a head start…just to be sporting and all."  He lowered his gun and broke open the chamber, removing the spent casings and replacing them with new bullets before snapping it back into place.  "And here all I wanted was a bath and a warm meal."  He sighed and shook his head sadly as he slipped the black gun back into the holster at his hip.  "Oh well.  I suppose the next town might be a bit friendlier."  He slowly began walking towards the desert again.  "Are you coming, Millie?"  He asked over his shoulder without stopping.  "You can stay here if you like, but I doubt they'd welcome you with open arms, not after the trouble you've caused."  He smiled when he heard her steps hurrying after him.  "Smart choice."    


	24. Chapter 0024

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 24 **

****~****

    Knives made his way down the deserted street silently, taking care to stick as close to the shadows cast by the buildings as he could without being too obvious about it.  After getting Millie settled into a comfortable inn and having his much sought after bath and meal, he'd grilled her for answers to the questions buzzing around in his mind after her cryptic comments when he'd first found her.  From what he understood, she'd been with his brother since his disappearance nearly two years before searching for him, along with Meryl.  That is, up until the previous month when Meryl had gone missing.  Vash and Millie had abandoned their search for him in favor of looking for the missing woman, but then they'd somehow gotten separated and that's when he'd found her.

    Knives certainly had no intention of staying with Millie and waiting for Vash to arrive.  He had a bad feeling about Meryl's disappearance and intended to initiate his own search for her.  One thing had become clear from listening to Millie's convoluted explanation…the relationship he'd assumed to be developing between Meryl and Vash had screeched to an abrupt halt and somehow his brother had turned his attentions…and affections…towards the taller woman.  He was a little confused by this apparent turn in events, but he didn't have a lot of time to dwell on it.  He'd managed to contact his twin through their telepathic link and inform him of Millie's whereabouts and general continued safety before he'd left the inn through his room's window.  He didn't quite trust in fate and as far as he was concerned it was much better to be safe and wary than to be discovered through a blatant disregard to her latent abilities to detect movement.  If there was one thing he'd learned during his travels, it was that the ones who appeared innocuous usually tended to be the humans to watch the closest.

    He breathed a little easier once he'd reached the open desert.  He'd managed to escape detection and now he could move freely without fear of discovery.  Millie told him that Meryl had last been seen in October City, which was at least a week's worth of hard travel to the west.  Once he reached the city, he could search for clues and hopefully learn something his idiotic brother probably overlooked.  Vash was many things, but a stickler for paying attention to detail was definitely not one of them.  He couldn't help but wonder if one of the reasons they hadn't found her was simply because Meryl didn't **want** to be found.  Of course, that didn't make a lot of sense either.  From what he remembered of the woman, she wasn't given towards cruelty and by purposely disappearing without a trace she had to know that she would cause her companions much worry and emotional pain.  He doubted that she'd willingly do that to them which left only one other explanation…she hadn't left of her own free will.

    His eyes narrowed as he increased his pace.  Meryl, he knew, was more than capable of putting up a valiant fight in the face of most attacks, but she was still a small woman and could be easily overpowered.  He knew she carried weapons, single-shot derringers, but the tiny guns couldn't do much if she wasn't given an opportunity to use them.  Besides, if she had managed to get even one shot off Vash would've heard and gone to her aid immediately.  No, whatever happened must've been by total surprise.  Perhaps while she was sleeping… He scowled and shook his head.  If that were the case, then whoever was behind this must have been watching her for some time to have determined the pattern to her movements.  He didn't like that line of thinking.  It implied that someone had been stalking the small woman for some time and his brother had been too stupid to notice it.  **Vash…you are an unbelievable dough head.**  He purposely sent the thought out to his brother, allowing his anger and disgust to color the silent words before breaking the connection again.  He didn't want to hear Vash's whining and feeble attempts at defending himself.  He had more pressing matters to see to at the moment.

    If Meryl had been missing for a month already, there was no telling what shape he'd find her in…given that he even found her in the first place.  He didn't want to think of permanent damage being done to the young woman…it filled him with a burning rage that left the anger he'd felt in the past mild by comparison.  He wasn't quite ready to analyze why he would feel this way and chose to ignore it, pushing the fury down to a controllable level.  There really was no point in losing control.  He had no target to vent his rage on and it served no good to allow it to fester and boil.  He could call on it later when the time was appropriate.  His first priority was to get to October City as quickly as he could and begin his search for clues.  Unlike his brother, he wasn't above including searching through human minds and memories to learn what he needed.  Vash, of course, would call it a blatant disregard to people's rights and freedom, but Knives could care less.  He didn't share his brother's aversion to using the abilities he'd been born with and could and would use them as often as necessary to reach his ultimate goal, which in this case was finding Meryl as quickly as possible. 


	25. Chapter 0025

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 25 **

****~****

    **Well…that was a waste of time.**  He thought sourly as he trudged through the endless sand, the light of the moons casting an almost surreal beauty to the barren landscape as he left the lights and sounds of October City behind him.  Of course, he'd been unable to interrogate **every** human in the city, but those he had found that had any contact with Meryl had been anything but enlightening.  No one seemed to know anything about the woman or her disappearance beyond what they'd learned from Vash and Millie.  It was all very frustrating for Knives.  He'd hoped he could get the necessary information and find her trail from the city, but all he'd managed to uncover were more mysteries of other women who'd disappeared quite suddenly, never to be seen again.  He was beginning to wonder if things like this happened often in this part of the world.  The other places he'd been to hadn't had anything even remotely like this, but then again, he hadn't been looking for it there either.

    He sighed and shook his head.  He'd wasted a week in traveling to the city and then another week in useless questioning.  He was no closer to finding the long cold trail now than he had been two weeks ago.  Meryl had been missing for a month and a half now.  If he did manage to find her now, he doubted she'd be alive.  He didn't like that thought, not at all.  He didn't want to think of the small woman's life being snuffed out.  He wasn't certain what it was about her that drew out nearly long forgotten feelings of protectiveness, but he was willing to admit that that was what he was currently feeling.  She'd been the one to set him on his path of discovery, after all, even if had been in an indirect way.  It was through Meryl Stryfe that he'd begun seeing humans as more than parasitic organisms.

    Due to the nature of her disappearance and the fact that so much time had lapsed, he didn't have much hope of actually finding the trail, but he was willing to keep trying.  Perhaps Vash had overlooked something in his haste brought on by worry.  Knives knew his brother was a fairly skilled tracker, but he also knew that he wouldn't utilize every means available to him.  Every living organism left a trail and if one knew what to search for, it was possible to follow that same trail to the living individual…or at least to a location fairly close to them.  It was time consuming and energy draining, but it could be done.  Knives had become adept at it early in life, after first arriving on this dusty planet.  He'd used it on more than one occasion to find Vash when the other Plant hadn't wanted to be found.  He doubted his twin understood how Knives had found him those times and he wasn't about to let him in on the secret as of yet.  Once Vash came to accept his true nature, then he would gladly tutor him in mastering his latent abilities long left undeveloped.  It really was frustrating to have a Plant wandering around that wouldn't accept that he was a Plant.  Knives hoped his brother would wake up someday soon and realize that he wasn't human and come to embrace that fact.  The sooner he stopped trying to be something he wasn't, the sooner Vash could find his 'love and peace' that he'd been searching for.  Of course, he just **had** to be stubborn about it.  "Idiot."  He muttered, though not without affection.

    He would have to find a suitable place to make camp…somewhere he could remain isolated long enough to find the elusive trail that he was searching for.  He needed a place that was quiet and isolated, where he couldn't be disturbed.  He knew it would take a while to find the trail he was looking for considering how much time had lapsed since Meryl's alleged abduction.  He was inclined to believe that she really hadn't left of her own free will, but he still didn't have enough evidence to support the theory that she'd been seized by force.  He only had his gut feeling, something he wasn't prepared to rely on.  Vash went with instinct, but Knives preferred cold, hard facts to support any assumptions made.  It was his brother's penchant for ignoring logic that had led to so much disaster following in his wake.  Of course, he was now beginning to wonder if he'd relied too much on logic in the past as well, but at least he hadn't destroyed cities just by being in them.  Knives couldn't understand how so much destruction could come about by Vash's mere presence.  July City and August City aside, he knew full well that his brother hadn't caused any of the devastation he'd seen in the last two years intentionally.  It just wasn't like him to go out of his way to cause harm to the humans he loved so much.  He'd been left with the conclusion that Vash really was related in some strange way to the whirlwind he'd been nicknamed after…the destructive force of the typhoon seemed to suit him.

    After an hour of walking Knives decided to leave the main road and direct his steps towards the open desert.  He had to be certain that he wouldn't be distracted by humans passing by too close to him while he searched for the faint trail that would lead him to Meryl.  He wondered if Vash had met up with Millie yet.  He thought it was highly likely since his brother hadn't appeared to be too far when he'd contacted him.  He would really like to know what had happened between those two since he'd left two years before.  At the time, he'd assumed that Vash returned Meryl's affections, yet now he was beginning to wonder since he seemed rather attached to Millie from what he gathered from the way she spoke of his brother.  Of course, he could be reading more into it than there actually was.  Human emotions had always puzzled him and he wasn't nearly as adept at labeling them as his brother was.  Perhaps he'd merely misinterpreted what the woman had been telling him, yet he highly doubted it.  There was something just beneath the surface that led him to believe his assumptions were correct.

    Shaking his head sharply to dislodge the thoughts racing around within his mind, he surveyed his surroundings and finally settled on a jumble of rocks piled off to his right as a likely campsite for the night.  As he settled within the natural lee, protected from the wind and blowing sand, he decided to forgo a fire for the night, not wanting to attract the attention of possible roving bands of humans.  He didn't want to deal with their bothersome chatter at the moment nor did he wish to chance coming across the disreputable variety either.  He wasn't in the mood to deal with bandits patiently and he doubted his brother would approve if he merely killed them rather than sending them on their way.  Once he set himself into the proper mindset for finding the elusive trail he was searching for, he didn't want any distractions if he could help it. ****


	26. Chapter 0026

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 26 **

****~****

    He'd been following the faint trail for three days now and still hadn't found any sign of his 'quarry'.  Pausing, Knives closed his eyes and bowed his head as he focused and concentrated.  In his mind's eye he could envision the faint glowing trail curving off to his left, towards more rocky terrain.  Meryl's distinctive psychic signature was broken in places, smudged and bleeding off to mingle with others, from the amount of time that had passed, but still he doggedly tracked her, followed the disappearing path, and refused to give up now that he'd found something to trace to her.  He was rather disturbed by the direction the trail was leading.  It had somehow backtracked and turned east from October City, towards the direction he'd originally come from.  He didn't like the idea that he'd wasted two weeks just to find that he'd been closer to her before he'd started out.

    Opening his eyes again he sighed as the landscape blurred momentarily.  Raising a hand, he rubbed his eyes wearily and shook his head before continuing to walk, his steps slow and heavy.  He was tired.  It had taken a lot of effort to find the correct signature amongst all the others left by humans traveling through the desert and truthfully, all he wanted was a chance to lay down and sleep away the fatigue pressing down on him.  He hadn't slept well since he'd met up with Millie and found out about Meryl's disappearance and it was beginning to catch up with him.  He'd been pushing himself both physically and mentally, using up precious energy and tapping into his reserves.  If he didn't get some much needed rest soon he was likely to drop from exhaustion.  Of course, he wasn't about to let that deter him from his set goal.  He intended to find Meryl and return her to Vash and Millie…preferably safe and unharmed.  If not… He shook his head and forced the rest of the thought from his mind.  He wouldn't think of the alternative.  It was a waste of time and energy, of which he had precious little to spare.

    He scowled as he watched the last sun set beyond the horizon and rubbed a hand wearily over his face.  The damned trail had backtracked yet again and turned him in the opposite direction to head west once again.  He was becoming thoroughly sick of all the twists and turns he was being forced to follow.  If he didn't know better, he'd swear she'd been passed several times from one group to another, the other distinctive signatures changing often, yet since he'd never had contact with those humans before he couldn't be absolutely certain that they were different or if the time had merely altered them.  He was becoming increasingly frustrated…and irritated.  The constantly zigzagging trail he'd been following was wearing thin on his patience.  He'd been following the damn trail across the desert, feeling very much like one of those 'blood hounds' Rem had told them about from old Earth, and not liking it one little bit.

    Ahead through the increasing darkness he could make out the shape of a building.  Tilting his head to the side in consideration, he approached it cautiously.  The traces of Meryl's psychic energy led in that direction.  He doubted she was still inside, but he would check anyway to be sure.  He was hoping to find something that might make tracking her easier and possibly be able to rest for a few short hours.  He certainly didn't want to risk 'burning out', which was a very likely possibility if he continued expending energy without pause.  He shivered as he thought of the likely outcome for such an occurrence and immediately pushed the images from his mind.  He'd seen what happened to the captive Plants once they'd reached their maximum energy output and he had no intention of allowing that to happen to himself.

    Resting his hand on the comforting smoothness of his gun, he slowly approached the building and the door facing him.  Eyes narrowing, he focused and scowled.  There was no one inside that he could tell.  Not wishing to take any chances where his life was concerned, he drew his gun and cocked the hammer back in readiness before focusing once again.  The door flew open and he tensed, gun held at readiness.  Several tense moments passed and nothing moved.  Slowly lowering his arm, he gently depressed the hammer and approached the now open door and the darkness revealed beyond.  Stepping slowly over the threshold, he frowned as he surveyed the interior of the cabin.  With the exception of a few pieces of furniture, it was empty.  The light shining through the still open door offered enough light for his sensitive eyes to pick out details in the dim interior and he slowly shook his head as he replaced his gun in its holster.

    From the corner of his eye something caught his attention and held it.  Turning slowly towards it he drew in a sharp breath and held it.  Crossing the dirt floor he stared down at the white material lying rumpled in the corner before bending to touch it hesitantly.  It was, he could see, Meryl's cape.  He remembered seeing her wear it many times during his time of recovery.  He now had proof that she'd been here, in this very cabin, at some point in the not so distant past.

    As much as he wanted to continue in his search, he knew that he needed to take the opportunity to get some much needed rest.  Now that he had something of hers, it would be a little easier to track her, but he really needed to try to 'recharge' some of the energy that he'd expended to just reach this point in his search.  So, with that in mind, he slowly lowered himself to the floor and leaned back against the wall.  Sighing deeply, he closed his eyes.  He knew he should at least let his brother know what he'd found and so he concentrated and tentatively brushed his twin's mind.  **Vash…** He called silently, wincing at the weariness reflected in his mental voice.

    **Knives!  Where the hell are you?  What are you doing?  Why did you just leave Millie like that?  She's been going out of her mind with worry, you big jerk!**  He winced at the immediate diatribe sent back to him.

    **She'll get over it.**  He answered not bothering to hide his impatience.  **Look, I just thought you'd like to know I've found Meryl's trail…**

    **What?!**

    **Damn it Vash!  Not so damn loud!**  He pressed his hands to his aching temples.  **I picked up the trail heading south east from October City, but it backtracked to the West before turning again to the East.**

    **I see…so…whoever has Meryl is coming my way, then.**

    **Let me finish.  The trail doubles on itself.  It's hard to follow, but it seems she's been passed off to different groups and each of them has taken her in different directions.  I've found her cape, so that should make it easier…maybe.**

    **How are you doing this, Knives?  How can you track like that?  Any signs left in the sand would be long gone by now…**

    **No need to sound so suspicious, brother.  If you'd give up your foolish insistence of denying your true nature you could do this just as easily.  Now shut up and listen.  I think she's somewhere east of October City.  Despite the way the path keeps backtracking, it continues more in that direction.  I'll keep following from here, but you start searching the east.  Got it?**

    **Um…yeah.  I got it.**  There was a pause before he spoke again, tone hesitant.  **You sound tired, brother.**

    **I am.**  He answered truthfully.  **I'm going to get some rest now and start out again at dawn.  If I find anything, I'll let you know.  I expect you to do the same.**  He broke the connection and settled back against the wall, rubbing his temples absently as he felt the dull throb of a headache forming.  He really needed to get some sleep.  He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so utterly exhausted and he knew that if he continued on like this he'd be virtually useless later, if not dead.  He had no intention of killing himself yet…he still had quite a bit to do in his opinion.  ****


	27. Chapter 0027

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 27 **

****~****

    Knives was becoming increasingly frustrated as he followed the twisting and turning path of Meryl's psychic signature.  The only thing keeping his irritation down to a minimum was the fact that it was becoming stronger the longer he followed it.  He knew that he was slowly closing in on her location, but as far as he was concerned it was still taking too long.  She'd now been missing for two months and he was beginning to wonder what shape he'd eventually find her in.  He didn't like the way she'd been seemingly passed around and it left him wondering just what her captors were doing with her.  He hated to admit it, but he was becoming increasingly worried for her mental well being.  There'd been a subtle yet definite change in the patterns of her psychic signature and he was hard pressed to define it, yet it was there all the same.

    He'd kept the telepathic link to his brother open and through their frequent conversations he'd learned that Vash was also running into problems of his own in his search.  From what Vash had told him, he'd found people who recognized her description, but were reluctant to give much information concerning the young woman.  He found it rather suspicious.  It seemed that there was more to this supposed random disappearance than first met the eye.  Knives was beginning to wonder just what manner of humans had taken her in the first place.  Being naturally wary of humans to begin with, he was hard pressed to not just assume the worst.  He suspected that the men currently holding Meryl captive weren't common bandits as he'd first assumed.  No demands for ransom had been made and from the way she'd been shuffled around, he was fairly certain that none would ever be made.

    He topped a rise in the dunes and scowled at the town spread before him.  He scrubbed a hand over his face as he recognized it.  He had a feeling he was about to come up against another obstacle in his search.  "Damned infuriating creatures…" He muttered and shook his head.  The path led right into the town so he had no choice but to follow.  Checking his gun to ensure that it was loaded he sighed and continued forward.  He doubted he'd be well received by the townspeople, not after the altercation from nearly a month before.  He didn't think they'd forgotten yet what he'd done and fully expected to be met with an armed mob.  They probably wouldn't be easily intimidated this time around and he had a feeling there were going to be a few casualties before the day was through.  He didn't much care whether or not the humans attacked him, but unlike his brother he had no intention of allowing them to actually harm him.  They'd been in the wrong in the first place and he wasn't about to let them take their frustrations out on him.  He was just as glad, though, that Millie wasn't with him.  Her presence would definitely complicate matters and the situation would escalate into a blood bath in all likelihood.  Humans, he knew, weren't very forgiving…especially when their pride had been hurt.

    Glancing up as he passed under the swinging sign he frowned at the faded lettering proclaiming that he was now entering the town of Engelheim with a population of one hundred and three.  Odd that he hadn't noticed that many people during his last visit.  He shrugged and continued, looking around warily.  Not a soul was in sight, but he could definitely hear them.  It seemed there was some sort of commotion one street over.  He sighed and shook his head, reminded of how he'd found Millie in the first place.  He wondered what lame excuse the townspeople had concocted this time around to railroad some poor traveler whose only crime had been seeking shelter in their town.  He wasn't sure if he should step in again, but he was rather curious to see who it was all the same.

    Having the advantage of greater height, he was able to look over the heads of the gathered crowd.  He groaned and slapped a hand to his face and rubbed it in frustration when he recognized the two individuals standing in the middle of the crowd.  "Honestly…you'd think she learned the first time around!"  He muttered before roughly pushing his way through the grumbling mob.  "Vash, you bird brain.  What the hell are you doing here?"  He scowled at his brother impatiently.

    "Knives!  What are **you** doing here?"  Vash looked around at the angry faces surrounding him and grinned weakly.  "Boy am I glad to see you!"

    Knives folded his arms across his chest and glared at his twin.  "And why is that?"  He snorted at the almost desperate look cast his way.  "What?  You expect me to actually help you?  You got yourself into this, you can get yourself out."  He turned with the intention of walking away and found himself staring down the barrels of a shotgun.  Raising a hand, he placed two fingers against the barrel and pushed it aside.  "Kindly point that elsewhere."  He scowled when it moved back immediately.  He growled, his irritation growing.  "I don't have time for this."

    "Oh oh oh…" Millie wrung her hands in agitation, eyes moving back and forth between the angry mob surrounding them and Knives.  "This is a very bad situation!"

    Ignoring her, Knives drew his gun and aimed.  "Move, insect."  His expression hardened when his command was ignored.  He cocked the hammer back.  "Are you so eager to die?"

    "Knives!  Don't kill them!"  Vash sounded close to panic and drew his own silver gun, aiming in his brother's direction.  "Please…we can work this out without violence!"

    "Love and peace again, brother?"  He snorted disdainfully.  "I highly doubt they're willing to listen to your pacifistic nonsense, Vash.  Unlike you, I don't have a death wish and don't intend to allow them to shoot me full of holes."  He glanced at his twin with a smirk.  "Contrary to you, dear brother, I don't have a liking for pain."

    "What?  I don't…"

    "Drop 'em or the woman gets it!"  Knives glanced over at the speaker and rolled his eyes.  He recognized the man as being the same one who had previously accused Millie of stealing his Thomas.  "I ain't kiddin' around here!  Do it now!"

    With a heavy sigh Knives shook his head as he whipped his gun around and shot.  "Moron."  He muttered as the other man's gun flew from his numb fingers to land in the dust.  "I swear, this is becoming tedious."  He glared at his brother, silently daring him to object as he proceeded to rapidly fire and eliminate more of the hostile weapons aimed in their general direction.  When he reached his last shot he glanced over at Vash with a raised eyebrow only to see him sigh and take over for him, aiming with his own silver gun.  Knives took the opportunity to reload quickly.

    "You know, Knives…I'd hoped to avoid this sort of thing."  Vash glared at him briefly as the crowd began to scatter with shrill screams and much trampling of feet.  "There are better ways to resolve conflicts than resorting to just shooting at everyone, you know."

    "Is that so?"  Knives took careful aim and shot between the feet of the stragglers who seemed to be hesitating in vacating the proximity to the brothers.  "Could have fooled me."

    "That's your problem, Knives!  You never look at the big picture.  Violence never solved anything and usually makes matters worse."  He quickly reloaded his own weapon.

    "And how is this worse, brother?  The crowd is gone, you're both alive, and no one died…yet."  He lowered his arm and broke open the chamber to empty the spent casings on the ground and load more bullets.  "This is a waste of time.  If you just killed them in the first place you wouldn't have to worry about them returning later with reinforcements and increased weaponry."

    "Yeah, well…I didn't see you killing anyone either."  Vash frowned thoughtfully.  "Why is that?"

    Knives shrugged and returned his gun to its holster at his side.  "I have more pressing matters to attend to than killing a few spiders."

    Millie stepped forward hesitantly.  "Um…Mr. Knives?"  She shifted uncomfortably when his gaze fell on her.  "What are you doing here?"

    "I followed Meryl's trail here."  He answered shortly as he looked around.  He was rather pleased to see that all the humans had disappeared, presumably gone into hiding.  "Excuse me…" He muttered absently as he frowned thoughtfully, the distinctive psychic trail thickening around him now that he wasn't distracted by the mob of angry humans intent on doing violence to his brother.  He turned in a slow circle, ignoring the curious looks his brother was sending his way, and closed his eyes as he concentrated.  "She was here…" He murmured softly, a frown furrowing his brow.  "Recently…"****


	28. Chapter 0028

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 28 **

****~****

    Knives ignored Vash and his distracting questions as he followed the increasingly strong trail out of the town of Engelheim and into the surrounding desert to the north.  The trail couldn't be more than a week, two at most, old.  He suspected the townspeople with all their unfriendliness were somehow involved in this little escapade.  His eyes narrowed as he halted abruptly and Vash bumped into him at the unexpected stop.  "So that's why…" He muttered, his anger growing.  "Should've known…" He shook his head sharply and stepped forward again only to be halted by Vash's hand on his shoulder.  He glanced back at him with narrowed eyes.  "What do you think you're doing?"

    "Stop for a minute, would you?  Geez!  All I want is a couple straight answers from you."  Knives turned slowly to face him and waited impatiently.  "All right.  What are you doing, Knives?  How are you able to track Meryl without any tracks in sight?"

    He sighed heavily.  "This isn't the appropriate time, Vash.  Those questions can easily be answered when we don't have more pressing matters to attend to."  Seeing the stubborn tilt to his twins chin he sighed again.  "You're an idiot, Vash.  A complete and total moron.  Fine.  If you'd only stop being so damn stubborn, you'd know what it is I'm doing without having to ask in the first place.  I'm following her psychic trail.  Every living organism leaves a certain distinctive signature wherever they go.  It's easier to track humans than, oh, let's say an insect since they are a somewhat higher organism.  However, the longer the time lapse, the more difficult it is to find."

    "You can do that?"  Vash looked thoughtful.  "Hmm…" He frowned and tilted his face up to the sky.  "That would explain a lot, then."  He lowered his gaze back to his brother.  "Like how you were able to find me all those times I was positive I couldn't be found."

    "Exactly.  Can we continue now?"  He closed his eyes and sighed impatiently when Vash held up his hand.  "What now?"

    "So, using these tracking skills of yours, you could find anyone anywhere, right?"  He nodded slowly, reluctantly.  "Then what the hell were you doing all this time?  You could've found her and she'd be safe!"

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Back when Millie first told you she was missing!  You could've found her then and saved us all this worry!"  Vash grabbed him by the front of his coat and shook him before dragging him close to glare at him almost nose to nose.  "How could you be such a selfish bastard?!"

    Knives knocked his hands aside angrily and straightened his rumpled coat.  "It isn't as easy as you seem to think!"  He retorted hotly, returning his twin's glare with equal anger and disgust mirrored in his narrowed blue eyes as was reflected in Vash's hostile green gaze.  "I can't just sit in one place and find someone who may be a thousand iles away.  I have to first find traces of their signature and hope that I'm going in the right direction when I follow it.  Why do you think it took so damned long to get **here**?  Do you think I enjoy wandering around in the desert for weeks on end?  It isn't that I particularly like tracing and retracing my own blasted tracks!"

    Vash blinked and took a hasty step back.  "I didn't know…" He murmured softly, expression contrite.  Now that his vision wasn't clouded by anger and worry, he could see the weariness in his brother's features.  "I'm sorry, Knives.  I didn't know."

    "Obviously."  He sighed and turned his back on his twin.  "Can we continue now?  Or is there something else you'd like to yell at me about?"

    "Geez…I said I was sorry, already!"  Vash hurried after his brother and slowed his steps to keep pace with him at his side, glancing over his shoulder to see Millie frowning at their backs in obvious worry.  He couldn't blame her either.  He didn't understand why Knives was doing this, helping them out in their search for Meryl, but he was almost afraid to ask.  They had been searching for him for nearly two years and found no trace of him, and suddenly there he was…coincidentally following Meryl's disappearance.  He didn't want to suspect his brother had anything to do with her abduction, but considering his past track record regarding humans in general, he couldn't afford to overlook the possibility.  He glanced out of the corner of his eye at him and nearly stumbled in surprise when he found his twin's cold gaze on him.  "Wh-wha—"

    "Don't."  He stated firmly.  "Don't even think it, Vash.  I had nothing to do with her disappearance and, quite frankly, I find it insulting that you can even think such a thing."

    "B-but I-I never said…" He flinched when Knives waved his hand in dismissal and sighed.  "Well, the last time I saw you was two years ago, brother.  You were still spouting that 'kill the evil humans' crap and from where I stood you would just as soon strangle Meryl as look at her.  What else was I supposed to think?"

    "Have you seen any bodies littering the desert lately?"

    "Well…" He hesitated and shrugged.  "Actually, I've seen a few…"

    Knives rolled his eyes in exasperation.  "You know what I meant.  If I'd intended harm to your little human friend, I would've done so when I had ample opportunity while you were away during my recovery.  Don't think that I wasn't capable, Vash."

    He placed his hand behind his head and smiled sheepishly.  "Well, yeah…now that you mention it, I was kind of curious about that…"

    He snorted and shook his head.  "Curious, brother?  It seems to me you should have been a bit more worried about her welfare than that.  It's a good thing I found her amusing otherwise I probably would have killed her."  He smirked at his twin's sudden pallor.  "Or perhaps not.  Maybe she would've made an interesting puppet to use against you.  That would've been entertaining, don't you think?"

    "Knives, don't even joke about something like that!"

    "Ahh…I can see it all…how would you have reacted, Vash, if you had to face her, your **trusted** friend, while she held one of her little guns to the head of a child and pulled the trigger?  Of course she wouldn't be able to help herself, you know.  Her feeble human mind wouldn't be able to resist the power of suggestion I could've placed on her.  What would you have done?  Would you have stood by and allowed her to wreck havoc on the small town you called home?  The blood bath would've been amusing, don't you think?"

    "Knives, I'm warning you!  Do not joke about something like that…not to me."  Vash's hands closed into fists at his sides.

    "What could you have done to stop me?  Stop her?  You're powerless when you think of it.  If not for the fact that I found her entertaining in her own right I might just have followed through on that little suggestion.  What do you say to that, brother?"  He smirked and shook his head.  "Are you regretting not killing me now, Vash?  After all, you know that I'm more than capable of twisting any little human mind that I please to do as I wish whenever I may wish."

    "So why haven't you?" His voice trembled with anger and horror at his twin's cold, calculating words.

    "Because I don't want to.  Humans are like spiders, Vash…I've told you that before."  He halted and tilted his face up to the night sky and closed his eyes.  "And you know, brother…spiders can be just as beautiful as butterflies, too…" He finished with a soft smile curving his lips upwards into an uncharacteristically gentle expression as he thought of all that he'd discovered during the two years he'd wandered the planet.


	29. Chapter 0029

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 29 **

****~****

    Knives knelt in the sand and squinted across the heat wave distorted distance between the dune he crouched low on and the lone house set directly ahead of him.  **This is it, Vash.**  He sent the silent confirmation to his brother through their telepathic link.  The psychic signature trail that he'd been following led directly to the house and didn't emerge again.  Meryl was in that building, such a short distance from where he currently watched, yet he was hesitant to move closer.  Something wasn't quite right about the situation, but he wasn't certain what it was.  Perhaps it was the lack of sentries or maybe it was something else.  Whatever it was, it filled him with a nameless dread that he didn't like at all.  He sighed and shook his head.  He was tired and his mind was beginning to create things that weren't there.  He could see no reason for his uneasiness and decided that it was merely his exhaustion finally catching up with him.  He looked around at the surrounding desert carefully and concluded that his current location wasn't at all far from the ship he'd discovered.  He hoped Emily hadn't chosen to come in this direction when they'd separated.

    Vash crawled forward, looking for all the world like some giant mutated red spider with the ungainly way he moved.  Knives shook his head and faced forward again, lips twitching up into an amused smile.  His brother, he decided, was hopeless.  He honestly didn't know how Vash had survived as long as he did, but unless something was done soon, he was unlikely to reach his full life span.  He reached out automatically and grabbed Vash's shoulder as he tripped over something Knives couldn't see, preventing him from tumbling headfirst down the dune.  "Watch it."  He muttered, eyes remaining focused on the house.  "No need to alert them quite yet, Vash."

    Vash chuckled under his breath with an embarrassed flush.  "Oops.  Sorry."

    "Try to at least act like you know what you're doing, all right?  I don't want to be embarrassed any more than I already am."  He frowned and shook his head.  "What am I missing?"  He muttered more to himself than his brother.

    "Hmmm… No sentries, no smoke, no movement…" Vash looked towards the rickety corral set up to the side of the house.  "No Thomas'.  Are you sure there's someone inside, Knives?"

    "Of course I'm sure."

    "Maybe they aren't expecting anyone to find them way out here."  He glanced over at his still frowning twin.  "So…how do you want to do this?"

    "As quietly as possible."  He shifted and moved back to look at Millie where she knelt behind his brother.  "You…" He pointed at her.  "Stay here and out of trouble."  He looked back at Vash.  "You…follow me and for God's sake, get rid of the coat.  You stand out like a flare on a moonless night."

    "Hey!  I happen to **like** my coat, Knives.  It's like my trademark, you know."  Knives fixed him with a cold blue glare.  "All right, all right."  He shrugged out of his red trench coat and passed it to the silent woman.  "Would you watch this for me, Millie?  I don't want to lose it again, okay?"

    "Okay…but Vash…please be careful, all right?  Something just doesn't feel right about this."  She wore a worried frown as she absently folded the coat that he handed to her, placing it in a neat pile beside her.  "I'm really worried about Meryl.  You know how she is…sometimes she can be a little, well, impulsive with her temper.  I'm afraid she might have annoyed them if she gave in to her anger."

    Knives shook his head.  "That woman needs some serious help with anger management."  He blinked in surprise when two sets of disbelieving eyes rested on him with identical looks that just screamed 'huh'.  "What?"

    Vash shook his head.  "Nothing.  Never mind.  Let's do this."  He moved forward again and frowned down at the house.  "Okay…I'll go right, Knives…you go left.  We'll come in from both sides and surprise them."

    "Try not to trip and injure yourself."  Without a backward glance Knives advanced with stealthy speed down the hill, taking care to keep his eyes trained on the single window facing outwards.  So far he'd detected no movement from within, but he knew full well that that could change without notice.  He noted that Vash had abandoned his clumsy act and was moving with equal swiftness in the other direction.  Soon both brothers crouched with their backs to the exterior of the house on either side of the door.  Knives drew his gun as Vash reached to do the same.  Checking to ensure the chamber was full he tilted his head to the side and listened intently.  He could hear the low murmur of voices from within and smirked in satisfaction.  He'd known there were humans inside and this just proved it.  Looking at his brother again he nodded grimly.  **Get ready, Vash.  We only get one chance at this.  Try not to shoot the woman.**

    **Take your own advice, brother.**  Vash retorted with a silent snort cocky grin in place as his green eyes narrowed in determination.  Knives knew his brother had reached the seriousness he so seldom showed to the world and the humans that he traveled with.  He would never understand why Vash chose to play the part of an idiot, but he was thankful to have him at his side at this so crucial moment.  He knew that he was more than capable of dealing with whatever lay in wait within the small rundown house, but it was almost comforting to have his brother by his side and not intent on doing him bodily harm.  He'd waited over a century for this moment and he savored the feeling of completeness it brought to him.  Until this instant, he hadn't realized how much he truly missed his brother.

    Knives nodded and offered his twin a smile as he cocked the hammer back on his gun, listening to the satisfying click echoed from the opposite side of the door.  Holding the comforting and familiar weight of the black gun with casual ease in his right hand, he lifted his left hand, palm outwards, and focused his will on the flimsy barrier that stood between him and Meryl Stryfe inside with her captors.  With a tremendous crack the door splintered and exploded outwards as Vash rose and filled the now open doorway at his side, silver gun raised alongside his own black weapon, the suns reflecting off the smooth surface and reflecting back into their faces.  Knives surveyed the interior with narrowed blue eyes that widened in the next instant, horror crossing his usually impassive features for a moment only to be replaced with cold rage. 


	30. Chapter 0030

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 30 **

****~****

    Knives felt burning hot rage rush through him as he stared into the dim interior of the house.  His blue eyes narrowed as they moved around, taking in everything, missing not one detail of the scene spread out before him.  His hand tightened on the smooth handle of his gun, knuckles whitening at the force of the grip.  Again his gaze swept the room before he moved.

    Raising his hand, the left one again, he held it palm up towards the three men now rising to their feet, arms moving as they reached for the weapons set out on the filthy table before them.  Knives' lips pulled back into a snarl as he waved his hand in an almost careless gesture, an unseen force knocking the weapons off the table, to the floor and then across the room.  He took a slow, menacing step forward, shaking of his brother's restraining hand.  His eyes moved again over the small figures cowering on the floor off to the side, their small body's covered by thin and grimy blankets, their large, frightened eyes following his movements with unblinking attention.  He turned away from them to approach the men.  "Where is she?"  He growled as he raised his hand.  The man unlucky enough to be addressed was abruptly lifted into the air by the same unseen force that had thrown their weapons out of reach.  He clawed at the invisible hand squeezing his throat and cutting off his air.

    "Knives!  Don't kill him!"  Vash, finally galvanized by the sight of the man dangling a good foot off the ground, rushed forward and desperately tried to break his brother's concentration.  "Don't kill him, please!"

    Tossing his first victim aside ruthlessly he ignored the crunch of his bones impacting with the wall and turned to the second.  Rather than lifting him by his throat, Knives chose instead to twist his limbs into awkward positions, ignoring the man's agonized screams as his joints popped and his ligaments stretched beyond their usual capacity.  "What have you done with her?"  His voice was harsh with cold anger as he demanded answers.

    Vash rushed to the downed man's side and checked for a pulse.  He breathed a silent sigh of relief when he discovered that he was merely knocked unconscious, not dead.  He then hurried over to the small figures huddled across the one room cabin.  Kneeling before them he offered a reassuring smile.  "Don't be frightened.  We're here to help you."  He winced when the screams behind him were abruptly cut off followed by the sound of another body crashing into the wall.  "Oh man…" He shook his head and held his hand out to the young women looking up at him warily.  "Come on, let's get out of here, okay?"

    Knives glared at the last man and slowly approached him.  "Last time.  Where is Meryl?"  He began to raise his hand when the man before him fell to his knees, tears running down his dirty face, leaving thin tracks until they dripping off his chin.  "Well?"

    "D-don't know no Meryl!"  He wailed and cowered when Knives gave him a black scowl and took another step closer.  "H-honest, mister!  W-we don't ask no names!"  He sobbed in relief when the tall Plant halted and merely stared at him and waited.  "Wh-what's she look like?"

    "Small, dark hair, grey eyes.  She was wearing white.  You took her from October City.  I recognize your stinking aura.  Where is she?"

    "N-not here…"

    He reached down and grabbed the man by the front of his sweat-stained shirt and dragged him to his feet.  "I can see that, you filthy insect!  I want to know where she is now!"

    "S-she escaped!"

    He shook him ruthlessly.  "Lies!"

    "N-no!  She escaped!  The cellar, over there…" He jerked his head towards the middle of the room.  "We was outside takin' a leak and when we got back three of the girls was gone…your little chickie too!  I swear, mister, that's the truth!"

    Knives stared intently into the man's terrified eyes, seeing beyond into his mind.  He didn't bother being gentle about it.  He searched roughly through his memories, his emotions, and finally tossed him aside, wiping his hands against his legs as if to rid himself of grime.  The man's mind had been a cesspool of corruption, yet he'd spoken the truth about Meryl.  He looked down at the trap door that had been pointed out to him briefly before looking over at the men lined up against the wall moaning in pain and fright.  He smirked and crossed over to them.  "Good.  You're conscious.  I want you to be aware of everything I do to you.  You are disgusting excuses for humans!  Stealing children from their homes, young women off the streets, selling them at a human market as slaves.  It's filth like you that make me regret not wiping out the human race long before now!"

    One of the figures moved out of the shadows and Vash did a double take when he looked into her smoky blue eyes.  He blinked and stared, green eyes moving rapidly over her pale, pale skin, her platinum blond hair and graceful form as she shifted more into the light where he could see her, holding his breath as she gazed at him intently for a moment before standing and crossing the room to stand beside his brother.  She laid a hand gently on his arm and Vash tensed, expecting the worst since his twin was apparently completely consumed by his rage.  "Knives-brother…" She spoke softly, her voice sweet and melodic with an innocence that hadn't been diminished by her recent ordeal.  "You can't squash all the humans…remember?"  ****


	31. Chapter 0031

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 31 **

****~****

    Knives closed his eyes and fought back the anger turning his vision red.  Finally drawing in a deep, calming breath, he shook himself and glared one final time at the men cowering before him.  "Lucky for you my sister is unharmed, you filthy vermin."  Raising his hand again, he gave a mental push and thrust them into the oblivion of a nightmare riddled unconsciousness.  Turning, he pulled the young woman into a quick embrace.  "Emily-sister…are you hurt?"  He asked softly, the gentleness in his tone belying the previous rage that had filled his voice.

    She shook her head.  "No.  I'm not hurt."  When he released her to look at her searchingly she smiled with her usual innocence.  "Really, Knives-brother.  I've only been here for a short while."

    He nodded, satisfied that was indeed unharmed and slowly moved away from her.  "How many followed Meryl, Emily?"  He asked as he lifted the trap door and peered down into the pit.  Now that he was thinking a bit more clearly again he could see the definite trace of Meryl's distinctive signature leading down into the cellar.

    "Hmm…only two, I think."  She frowned thoughtfully for a moment.  "They left maybe five minutes before you got here, Knives-brother."  She added helpfully.  

    "Good.  Stay with Vash and help him get the others out of here."  He instructed as he dropped down through the opening.  The drop wasn't far and he crouched, eyes scanning the dim interior.  Set into the sandy wall was what appeared to be a door left wide open.  Without hesitation he moved towards it.  The door led into a low, narrow tunnel and he had to duck slightly to avoid smacking his head against the rough beams supporting the dirt and rocks that had been carved out.  Swiftly following through the passageway, intent on Meryl's very strong psychic signature that seemed to glow with a bright unwavering steadiness, he narrowed his eyes when he saw light suddenly appear before him out of the dim shadows of the underground passage.  If he was lucky, he'd be able to catch up to her swiftly and finally put an end to his worry as well as his brother's.  As he stepped through the opening into a wide cavern sudden pain exploded in his head before he had a chance to straighten to his full height, dropping him to his knees.

    "Oh my God!"  Something clattered to the floor.  "Knives!  I'm **so** sorry!  Are you all right?"  Small hands clamped onto his shoulders as he pitched forward, holding his head against the ringing pain reverberating through his skull in wake of the nasty blow delivered with a vicious swing of whatever had just been tossed to the floor.

    Gritting his teeth, he cast a baleful glare into the blurred features of the person crouched beside him.  "No, I'm not all right."  He closed his eyes quickly when the blurred images swiftly altered to multiple images and groaned.  "Damn…what did you hit me for?"

    "I'm really sorry…I thought you were one of those pigs come to retrieve us."  She paused and gingerly touched her fingers to the bump she'd inflicted.  "What are you doing here, Knives?"

    "What the hell does it look like?"  He shook his head once and was gratified that his vision was now clearing even if the headache remained.  He sighed.  "Well, it **was** a rescue but it appears you didn't really need one."  He shifted until he was sitting with his back against the wall as he looked over her small form appraisingly.  She didn't appear to be the worse for wear at first glance.

    She grinned and shook her head.  "I'm not nearly as helpless as you seem to think.  I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."  Her smile faded and a slight flush stained her cheeks.  "Well, usually I am at least.  They made it rather difficult to escape.  Every time I thought I got away, someone would show up and grab me.  It was really frustrating."  She scowled briefly before shrugging.  "It took a while to figure out how they did it, but the last time I tried to escape out in the desert I saw how they managed to alert their 'friends'.  They were using lost technology and were able to communicate over distances that way."

    "I see."  He frowned thoughtfully.  "That explains quite a bit, actually."  He studied her intently for several moments.  "I never did peg you to be helpless, Meryl, and this just proves that I was right."  She blushed at the unexpected praise.  "Now I think I understand why your trail kept backtracking so much and it appeared as if you were being passed off from person to person and group to group so frequently."

    She nodded and rubbed at her wrists.  "Yeah…their gang appears to be quite extensive.  I'm going to really enjoy bringing them down."  A smile crossed her delicate features that made even Knives' hair try to stand on end.  "Oh yeah…I'm **really** going to enjoy it."

    He cleared his throat, drawing her out of whatever she'd been envisioning.  "Emily mentioned there were two that followed you…" He let the sentence trail off when she glanced to the right.  He followed her gaze and smirked at the sight of two men who were hogtied with three young women standing guard over them, staring at him curiously.

    "Emily?  You know her?"  Meryl smiled and shook her head.  "She reminds me of Vash some how."

    He snorted and moved to stand, ignoring the lingering pain in his head.  "She's very much like him, actually."

    "So…how **do** you know her?"  She was looking up at him with narrowed eyes.  "And just where have you been for the last two years?"  She stood and glared up at him with her hands fisted against her hips.  "You disappeared, seemingly without a trace, and didn't even think to say goodbye before you left!"  She poked a finger into his chest and continued to glare at him.  "Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

    He raised a hand and blocked her next attempt to jab his chest.  "Is this really the place, Meryl?"  He raised one eyebrow eloquently and nodded towards their avid audience.  "Perhaps the interrogation can wait until later?"

    "Fine."  She huffed and turned her back on him.  "But I expect a full detailed report."  ****


	32. Chapter 0032

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 32 **

****~****

    Knives sat in the small saloon with his back to the wall, Emily on one side of him and Meryl on the other while Vash and Millie sat across the small table.  They'd brought the young women and their prisoners to Bayleworth, a settlement smaller than a city but larger than a town and lucky enough to have a decent jail and an honest sheriff.  His long fingers were wrapped around his glass of water, blue gaze fixed on the table as his companions chatted amiably amongst themselves.  After receiving a half hour long diatribe on how selfish he was to disappear without a trace, without even a goodbye, he'd been virtually ignored and left in peace.  Apparently they had better things to occupy them now that they'd vented their anger and resentment on him and discovered for themselves that he hadn't gone on a murderous rampage during his two year absence.

    As he'd predicted, Vash and Emily got along wonderfully, their personalities so much alike that they appeared to even **think** alike.  And Millie had taken well to his sister immediately.  Meryl appeared to be frustrated by her seeming lack of common sense, but also appeared to enjoy her company.  He was glad.  It meant that he didn't have to worry about Emily's welfare once he left the group again.  He found that he just couldn't be around them for too long without wanting to strangle his brother for annoying the hell out of him and wanting to shake some sense into Millie.  The two of them seemed to derive perverse pleasure out of irritating both him and Meryl.  The small woman was currently trying to wrestle a bottle of foul smelling liquor away from Vash with little success.

    He watched as condensation formed on the outside of his glass and traced small patterns against the scuffed top of the table as he tried to ignore Vash's whining and Meryl's increasingly loud complaints about his drunken foolishness.  Millie was saying something about pudding and ice cream and his sister was watching it all with wide eyes and a huge grin.  She elbowed him and leaned closer once she was sure she had his attention.  "You were right, Knives-brother…I **do** like Vash-brother!  He's great fun, don't you think?"

    "Oh yeah…a real riot."  He muttered and gingerly rubbed his ribs where she'd nudged him a little more forcefully than was absolutely necessary.  He'd have to remember to caution Vash about letting Emily imbibe too freely of the potent alcohol he'd been plying her with.  She had a tendency to forget her strength even without the mind-numbing effects of the liquor and didn't need the added loss of control it brought about in the recently freed Plant.

    Millie suddenly stood, knocking into the table.  Knives made a desperate grab for his glass before it ended up in his lap.  "I wanna sing!"  She announced loudly and staggered off towards the as of yet silent piano standing against the far wall.  "C'mon Vash!"

    "Okey dokey, Millie!"  Vash abandoned his battle for the bottle, sending Meryl sprawling back in her chair as he stood and hurried after the tall woman.

    Millie plopped herself down on the piano bench and ran her fingers over the keys.  She looked back towards the table and grinned at them.  "Emily!"  She beckoned the woman over with a friendly wave.

    Knives watched as his sister joined the two and winced.  He had a feeling it was going to be a long night.  He sighed as he thought of how Emily would be suffering once morning arrived.  It would be her first hangover as far as he knew.  "Those three…have they no sense?"  He glanced over at Meryl and shrugged.  "Honestly, don't they realize what a spectacle they're making of themselves?"

    "Evidently not."  He leaned back and closed his eyes, listening to the melody floating towards him.  Millie was surprisingly musically talented.  He never would've thought that she knew how to actually play the piano.  "Wonders never cease."  He muttered and lifted his glass to sip at his rapidly warming water.  He winced when his brother opened his mouth and began belting out a well-known tune in one of the most tuneless voices Knives had heard in a while.  Singer, his brother was not.

    "You're planning on ditching us again, aren't you?"  Meryl leaned closer to speak quietly and still be heard over the duet being performed in two equally flat voices.  "Are you at least going to say goodbye this time?"

    He set the glass on the table and pushed it away, his interest in it having fled.  "No.  It's better if I just leave."

    "Better for who?"

    "Me.  I don't want to deal with Vash blubbering like an idiot."  He answered honestly.  He saw no reason to lie to her.  He had a feeling she'd be able to see through any subterfuge he tried to enact in regards to this subject.

    "What about Emily?  She really looks up to you, you know.  I think she'd be hurt if you just abandoned her, Knives."

    "She has Vash.  They're better suited to each other than I ever will be."  He shrugged and turned to watch as they began a strange, wobbling dance to accompany the tune Millie was currently coaxing out of the piano.

    "Millie and Vash quit their jobs to go searching for you."  He glanced over at her with a silently questioning look.  "Remember how Vash took the job of sheriff?  Millie was his deputy."  She explained with a frown.  "Of course, thinking about those two double-teaming the criminals is just plain scary."

    "Why are you telling me this now?"

    "Vash had finally found the peaceful life he's always wanted.  When you left, he had to give it all up to look for you.  Why don't you let him have a few years of happiness, Knives?"

    He scowled at her irritably.  "I'm not stopping him, woman.  He's free to do as he pleases."

    "Not if he's constantly worrying about you and what you might do."  She shifted in her chair to face him more fully.  "Vash is afraid you might just decide to continue where you left off before and try to kill us all.  That whole 'kill the humans to create Eden' stuff you've been spouting for over a century."

    "Actually, it was kill the spiders to save the butterflies, but close enough."

    She sighed and shook her head, grey eyes dropping from his to stare instead at her hands currently clasped in her lap.  "I see.  Do you still see us as spiders, then?  Is that all we are?  Insects to be swatted?"  Her voice was a low whisper and barely carried over the music in the background.

    He frowned down at her bowed head and shifted uncomfortably.  He got the impression that his answer was much more important than she wanted to let on.  He wondered at that.  Why would she possibly care one way or the other?  Besides the obvious of course.  She was human after all.  He decided that she wanted to know so she could either reassure or warn his brother, depending on what he told her.  "Humans **are** like spiders."  He began slowly, watching as her shoulders tensed at his quiet words.  "They can be just as venomous, bloated with the poison of their evil thoughts and deeds, committing unspeakable horrific crimes against their neighbors.  Grotesque, immoral, and completely without compassion for the suffering they cause to others.  It's disgusting to witness such acts of blatant cruelty being inflicted on the weak."

    Meryl raised her head to meet his gaze directly, grey eyes silently pleading.  For what, he wasn't sure.  "But…not everyone…"

He raised a hand, halting the lecture he was certain was about to come.  "Let me finish, Meryl."  She closed her mouth and seemed to sink a little lower in her chair as she nodded slowly with obvious reluctance.  "Humans are frail creatures, easily crushed and broken."  He smiled and impulsively reached out to gently cup her cheek, his fingers curving around the delicate bones of her face.  "The spider will spin its web and continue to do so despite the fact that parts can be torn down and destroyed.  It will turn around a rebuild and continue to create its home despite the obstacles set before it.  Humans do the same.  Tear down their homes and they rebuild.  Destroy their crops and they replant.  They never give up hope that tomorrow will be better.  Spiders, Meryl, can be just as beautiful as butterflies…just different."  The saloon disappeared, leaving them alone, blue and grey staring intently into the other.  A faint blush spread across her cheeks as her lips parted and he leaned a little closer, thinking that this particular spider was more beautiful than anything he'd ever seen before.  He forgot, for the moment, that her tender affections were directed to his brother.  He forgot that she was merely questioning him in place of Vash.  He even forgot that he was a logical creature not given to fanciful human emotions as he leaned even closer.  All that currently filled his mind was how her eyes radiated warmth and acceptance and how soft her cheek was beneath his finger tips, how her delicate scent…an odd combination of gunpowder and flowery soap…was and how her lips parted on a soft sigh as her grey eyes slid shut as she leaned towards him.  The moment was broken when the table was slammed into and his forgotten glass of water tipped over the edge into his lap. 


	33. Chapter 0033

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 33 **

****~****

    Somehow Vash had known that Knives intended to leave.  He didn't know how his brother had picked up on this fact, but he had.  Perhaps Meryl had told him?  He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall at the head of the bed he was currently reclining on.  Vash had put up such a fuss with a combination of whining, pleading and begging interspersed with anger and threats, that Knives had finally given up and agreed to remain with them for the time being.  He had a feeling that his twin wouldn't have stopped haranguing him until he'd driven him completely insane.  And of course, Emily's tears had been a major deciding factor as well.

    He sighed and slowly shook his head.  With siblings like those two, he was almost positive that he was the only sane one in the bunch.  Of course, that didn't say much considering his previous bout of madness where the human race was concerned.  He winced and chose to ignore that little fact.  An ironic smile twisted his lips upwards.  Ignorance, he decided, could indeed be bliss.  His expression turned serious again as he thought back to his actions from the previous night.  He winced and shook his head again.  He didn't know what had possessed him to behave in such an irrational way.  It was totally out of character for him to act without thinking things through first.  If Vash and Emily wouldn't have bumbled their way across the room and fallen into the table, he was almost positive that he would've done something incredibly stupid.  He'd been so close to actually kissing Meryl that it almost frightened him.  It was behavior that was unacceptable to his logical and cautious side.  By allowing himself to show anything beyond mild liking and occasional friendliness towards her was bound to only end in disaster.  He knew this, had known it the night before, and still he'd allowed himself to act on impulse without thinking things through first.  The only explanation he could think of to explain his actions towards Meryl was that his brother's idiocy must be contagious.

    He'd decided that after his irrational behavior from the night before, that he'd take care to avoid the cause of his confusion.  So, to achieve that end, he'd remained closeted in his room at the inn for the entire day.  Staring at the four walls and ceiling reminded him of the time he'd spent with Meryl during his recovery from the gunshot wounds Vash had inflicted on him.  Thinking of that, of course led to thoughts of the woman herself and that was what he'd been trying to avoid.  So, his day had progressed in that manner with his gaze moving around the room, studying the walls and the ceiling, comparing them to the room he'd spent nearly a year confined to, and his mind rotating between complete and utter boredom and dwelling on what he was beginning to suspect was an obsession with Meryl Stryfe.  It was frustrating beyond belief and he couldn't see any way to get out of it beyond leaving the relative safety of his room and chancing running into the woman herself.

    Sliding down on the mattress until he lay flat on his back, he stared up at the ceiling and automatically searched for signs of spiders and their webs.  Of course, in an inn such as this one, none were to be found.  The proprietors seemed to pride themselves on the cleanliness of their establishment.  He couldn't fault them for this, yet he did feel a small twinge of regret that the tiny arachnids weren't around to occupy his mind and drag him from the spiral of conflicting thoughts currently assailing him.  He was beginning to seriously regret all the years he'd spent isolated and stubbornly refused to explore the strange phenomenon of human emotions.  Vash, he knew, was much better suited to dealing with emotion.  Knives had always been the more logical of the two, choosing instead to rely on cold hard facts rather than dubious emotional reactions to situations.  He was beginning to wonder if maybe…just maybe…his brother was the smarter of the two after all.

    Knives shook his head and raised his arms to lace his hands behind his head as he stared up at the spotless ceiling.  His life had been much simpler when all he had to think about was how he was going to destroy the humans he hated so much.  He still felt that most of humanity actually did deserve to be eliminated, but now that he'd pursued the thoughts Meryl had inspired in him and the basic truths he'd learned throughout his lifetime, he had to admit that maybe there were a few worth saving.  **Wouldn't Vash be so proud?**  He snorted and shook his head again.  He had no doubt Vash would go all starry-eyed and start blubbering like a fool if he thought for an instant that Knives was beginning to see things his way.

    A quiet knock at the door interrupted his musings and he frowned in irritation.  He didn't want to be disturbed, had even set out the little sign the inn had provided for his doorknob and still someone was bothering him?  **Probably Vash.  The idiot never did know when to leave well enough alone.**  Removing one hand from behind his head he waved it almost lazily and exerted just enough mental power to throw the door open.  "What?"  He asked sharply, not bothering to look in his guest's direction.  He'd already established that whoever it was didn't have violence on his mind.

    "Um…Knives…can I talk to you?" He sat up abruptly at the hesitant and very familiar voice.  Meryl stood in the doorway looking extremely uncomfortable.  She shifted from one foot to the other as the silence stretched and he continued to just stare at her.  "Can I come in?"  He nodded, once, and watched as she slowly closed the door behind her and crossed the room to sit perched uncomfortably on the edge of the chair set beside the window overlooking the street below.  "I…um…" She cleared her throat and laced her fingers together tightly in her lap and stared at them rather than meeting his wary gaze directly.  "Vash told me what you did."

    He swung his legs over the side of the bed and leaned forward, staring at her intently.  "And what is it that I've allegedly done?"

    "He said you're the one who actually found us…tracked us across the desert."  She glanced up briefly before looking away quickly.  "I wanted to thank you for that.  I also wanted to thank you for returning my cloak."  She gestured at the garment currently wrapped around her small frame.  "It's going to take a while to replace the derringers that I lost, but at least I have the holsters.  It isn't easy sewing them in such a way that they aren't obvious."  He nodded curtly.  The silence stretched until she cleared her throat again.  "I also wanted to ask you something…" She looked up and met his gaze steadily, a faint blush staining her cheeks.  "What happened last night?"

    He raised an eyebrow and returned her stare with one of his own.  "What do you mean by that?  Vash got drunk and made an ass of himself, as usual."

    She waved a hand impatiently.  "That isn't what I meant and you know it.  I was referring to you…" She frowned and shrugged.  "And me…you know…us."

    He shrugged and averted his gaze.  "I don't know what you're talking about."  He stood and crossed to the small table holding a pitcher half filled with water with a few ice cubes still floating through the clear liquid and poured it into a glass.

    "Oh please."  Meryl stood as well and approached him.  "I was there, too, you know.  Something happened and I think we have to talk about it."

    "Absolutely not."  He took a careful sip of the cool water and refused to meet her steady grey gaze.  "There is nothing to discuss."

    She fisted her hands on her hips and glared up at him.  "I think there is.  I need to understand what's happening, Knives."

    "Nothing is happening."  He muttered and set the glass down again, the water barely touched.

    She snorted and shook her head.  "Fine.  Nothing is happening.  Then why don't you tell me about Emily and what is she to you?"

    He blinked in surprise and turned to face her, noting the way her eyes had narrowed and her lips thinned into a straight, angry line.  "Emily?  What about her?"

    "You spent some time with her, right?  So…what is she to you?"  If he didn't know better, he could almost swear she was displaying signs of the human emotion known as jealously.  He shook his head quickly.  He must be mistaken.  Why would Meryl be jealous?  And of Emily no less.  "Well?  I'm waiting."

    He snorted and shook his head.  "Emily is my sister, Meryl."

    "Your…sister?  I didn't know you had a sister, Knives.  Vash never mentioned her in all the time that we've known each other."  Her disbelief was very clear.  "Why don't you want to admit it?"

    "Admit what?"  He frowned in bewilderment, not entirely certain where she was going with this conversation, but fairly sure that he wasn't going to like it when he did find out.  "What are you blathering about now?"

    "Your relationship with Emily!"  She threw her hands up and spun in a small pirouette.  "I should've known!  You're his brother, after all…of course you'd be like him.  Why would I think this would be any different?  I'm such an idiot!  I actually thought you might be different…not like the others at all."

    "What the hell are you talking about?  What relationship?  What about my brother?  You are making absolutely no sense, woman."  He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.  "I don't understand what has you so upset this time.  Humans are so complicated."  He muttered and shook his head, his confusion clear.

    She spun back to him and fisted her hands in his shirt, standing on tiptoe to glare at him.  He blinked in surprise when he thought he heard her growl.  "You're a two-timing, double crossing, good for nothing, cheating liar!"  Her diatribe had begun almost as whisper but ended on a furious shout.  "I can't believe you!  Standing there, acting all innocent and confused when I know the truth!  You can't hide it from me, Knives!  I'm not a complete idiot, unlike what you so obviously think."  She pushed away from him and stalked across the room to the door.  "I came in here to get answers and I had hoped that you would prove my suspicions wrong.  I was such a fool as to believe…" She cut her words off and waved a hand in dismissal.  "Oh never mind.  Forget it.  I hope you enjoyed your little game, Knives…I know I didn't."  She yanked the door open and stepped through.  She paused and glanced over her shoulder to give him a tear-filled glare.  "I think it would be best if you just left now and never came back!"  She slammed the door closed and left him staring at it in dumbfounded shock.

    He leaned against the wall and shook his head slowly with a bewildered frown, lips turned down in an unhappy expression as his blue eyes stared at the closed door with clouded confusion.  "What did I do?"  He asked softly to the room at large.


	34. Chapter 0034

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 34 **

****~****

    It had been four days and still Meryl was avoiding him.  He knew because he'd tried to seek her out to explain what it was that had her so angry with him.  Once he'd overcome his initial shock and bewilderment he'd been irritated with her.  She hadn't even told him what had her so upset and to top it off, she hadn't given him a chance to ask either.  He couldn't very well defend himself if he didn't know what it was that he was supposed to have done in the first place.  It was all very confusing and frustrating.

    He was reluctant to go to Vash with his problem, suspecting that his brother would derive vast amounts of amusement at his current predicament.  Millie, he knew, would automatically side with her friend and would greet any attempts at discovering the truth behind Meryl's anger with stony silence.  That left Emily, but he refused to talk to his sister about such a delicate subject knowing instinctively that she would want to help and end up only making matters worse.  Her grasp of human emotions was just as tenuous as his own.  And under it all, somehow his sister had been at the heart of Meryl's upset.  He didn't know why, but that much he'd been able to gather from the convoluted accusations she'd thrown at him.  Females, he decided, were quite possibly an entire different species and therefore impossible to understand.

    Shaking his head at the strangeness of the situation he currently found himself in, he pushed open the doors to the saloon and stepped into the relative coolness offered out of the glaring heat of the double suns shining down on the desert world.  He looked around quickly and spotted a vacant table set to the back and made his way to it wearily.  It would be easy to seek the answers to his questions by merely looking into her mind, but he was reluctant to do so.  He hated to admit it, but he was afraid of what he'd discover.  His life had definitely been much simpler before he'd met Meryl Stryfe.  He was beginning to think that his brother was much crueler than he'd originally suspected.  Why else would he have set him up for all this confusion?

    After ordering from the waitress, he sat back in the chair and stretched his legs out in front of him.  Today, he decided, was the perfect day to indulge in Vash's seemingly favorite pastime.  He accepted the glass and bottle the waitress brought to him and handed her the necessary payment before waving her away.  He wanted to be alone with his thoughts and didn't want any distractions.  He was determined to muddle his way through the confusion and find a possible solution to his current dilemma on his own…even if it meant that he had to drink himself into oblivion first.  He shook his head and poured a generous amount of the amber liquid into his glass.  If Vash could do it, then so could he.  Somehow his brother managed to make sense out of the most impossible of situations while under the influence of the potent liquor he seemed to favor, so he was willing to try it as well.  He wasn't convinced that he'd find success, but at least he'd be able to forget his problems…even for a short time.

    Knives was on his third bottle when a shadow fell over him.  He looked up and through his somewhat blurred vision he made out a couple of images of his brother frowning at him.  "Hey Vash."  He waved his hand weakly and grinned widely.  "Care to join me?"  He gestured towards the chair across from him.  He frowned for a moment, thinking hard to remember what he knew was very important, something he had to tell his twin.  "Oh yeah."  He nodded, pleased that he now remembered as Vash reached for the bottle.  He snatched it away from him.  "Get your own."  He cradled the half empty bottle against his chest and glared fuzzily at his brother.

    "Knives?"  Vash leaned forward and peered at him closely.  "Are you…drunk?"

    "Yup."  He nodded with a happy smile and poured himself another drink.  "Absolutely."  He set the bottle on the table unsteadily and lifted his glass.  "How do you put it?  Completely pie-eyed."  He nodded again and took a healthy swig of the alcohol.

    Vash scowled and leaned back again to study Knives appraisingly.  "How much have you had, brother?"

    "Not enough."  He answered immediately and drained his glass before reaching for the bottle again.  He paused and blinked across the table and sighed heavily before filling his glass.  "Not nearly enough."  He sighed again and shook his head.  "I just don't understand…"

    Vash waited patiently for him to continue but when the silence stretched he shook his head.  "What don't you understand?"

    "Humans."  He set the empty glass on the table with a sharp click.  "Females.  Especially females.  They make no sense.  None."  He shook his head and reached once again for the bottle and scowled when his brother removed it from his reach.  "Hey!  I told you, get your own."

    "I think you've had enough, Knives."  Vash studied the forlorn look his brother was currently wearing and sighed before pushing the bottle back across the table.  "Fine.  But don't blame me tomorrow when your head feels like a football being kicked for a field goal."

    "All righty, then."  Knives poured the last of the whisky into his glass and raised it to toast his brother mockingly.  "Spiders and butterflies, insects one and all!"  He raised the glass to his lips and drained it.  "I just don't get it, Vash…I thought she liked me…just a little, maybe, but still…" He shook his head and gestured towards the waitress for another bottle of the fine amber rotgut he was currently favoring.

    "Uh…who are you talking about?"  Vash watched with wide eyes as his brother cracked open another bottle of whisky and poured a liberal amount into his glass.  "You do realize that that stuff could kill you, right?  Burn a hole right through your gut…" When it appeared Knives wasn't about to listen to him he shook his head and leaned forward to rest his arms on the table.  "Who are you talking about, Knives?"

    "Who?  What?"  Knives blinked in confusion and stared across the table at Vash…both of the images wavering and bobbing in a confusing swirl of after images.  "Sit still, would you?  You're making me dizzy."

    "You're the one swaying, not me."  He sighed and shook his head again.  "Who did you think liked you?"

    "Huh?  Oh yeah…her…" He sighed and stared into his glass sadly.  "Yeah…all this time I never realized how beautiful spiders could be.  Then I watched one build a web and it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen."  He looked up and tilted his head to the side to regard his brother curiously.  "Have you ever looked at them?  Really looked at them?  They're fascinating creatures.  But so complicated.  I don't think I'll ever understand them."

    "What?  Spiders?"  He was having a hard time following Knives' drunken conversation and it was starting to give him a headache.  He raised his hand and quietly ordered a bottle of beer for himself as he waited for his brother to clarify what it was that he was trying to say.  "Knives?"

    "What?  Oh.  No, stupid.  I'm talking about humans."

    "I…see…" He didn't, but he was willing to play along for a while in hopes that he could figure out what it was that Knives was trying to get at.  He wondered briefly if he made as much sense when he was drunk.  He certainly hoped not.

    "What's that?"  Knives squinted at the bottle the waitress set on the table in front of Vash.

    "Beer.  One of us has to be able to walk after.  Man…I'm not looking forward to carrying you again.  You're heavy, you know."  He scowled across the table as he paused in the act of raising his bottle to his lips.  "And if you throw up, kindly aim **away** from me, okay?"

    Knives waved his hand airily.  "Yeah, yeah…no problem."  He slumped down in his chair and sighed.  He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.  It was a distant thought in his alcohol fuddled mind.  "What do you think made her so angry?"

    "Who?"

    "Her.  I don't know what I did, but she seems to think I did it anyway, but she wouldn't tell me what I did.  How can I fix it if I don't know what it was?"

    "Uh…yeah."  Vash thought this over and shrugged.  "Ask her?"  He suggested hopefully.

    "I can't.  She isn't talking to me.  Hasn't since she accused me…but I don't know what she was accusing me of since she didn't tell me."  He shook his head and took another sip.  "She called me names."  He pouted as he stared into his glass.  "Called me a two timer…but I don't know what that means."  He looked up and blinked blearily across the table.  "What does that mean, Vash?"

    "It means to date two women at the same time."  He tilted his head to the side curiously.  "Do you have a girlfriend, Knives?"  He grinned and set his beer on the table.  "Why didn't you tell me?  Who is she?  Someone I know?"

    "Girlfriend?"  He frowned and thought this over.  "I don't think so…what do they look like?"

    Vash snickered and covered his amusement with a cough when his brother glared at him, obviously not happy about being laughed at.  "Well…" He leaned back in his chair and tried to keep a straight face as he tried to glean more information from his obviously drunk brother.  "Is there a woman you like?"

    "I like Millie and Meryl and Emily…don't know any other women."

    "No, no…that isn't what I meant.  I mean, a woman you **like**."  He put exaggerated emphasis on the word, hoping it cleared up the misunderstanding.  He lifted his beer for another healthy swallow, hiding his smile from his brother's view.

    "I **like** Millie and Meryl and Emily, Vash…I don't understand what you're getting at.  You're making as much sense as Meryl did."

    Vash lowered the bottle abruptly and sprayed the beer in his mouth out across the table.  "M-Meryl?!"  He shouted amidst coughing and choking as he stared at his brother in open disbelief.

    Knives raised a hand and swiped at the beer and saliva dripping down his face.  "Damn it, Vash.  Spray elsewhere!"  He glared and wrinkled his nose.  "I smell like a damn brewery now."  He muttered and used his sleeve to wipe the remaining moisture from his face.  He lowered his arm and shook his hand to rid it of the moisture.  "That's so disgusting."

    Vash's mouth opened and closed several times as he fought to find his voice.  He knew he was currently resembling a fish out of water, but at the moment he didn't really care.  He was too flabbergasted to care beyond what his brother had just revealed.  "Y-you…and…and…" He winced when his voice finally emerged on a squeak.  He cleared his throat and tried again.  "You and **Meryl**?!"

    "What about us?"  He scowled and lifted his glass again only to find that it had somehow emptied itself.  Shrugging, he poured another drink for himself.

    "You **like** Meryl?!"  Vash suddenly grinned widely and leaned back in his chair.  "Well…I'll be damned."

    "Of course I like her.  That's what I've been saying.  Are your ears not working, Vash?"  He shook his head and drained his glass again before setting it on the table.

    "Yeah, I heard you…but you said you like Millie and Emily, too.  But this is different."  He frowned briefly.  "At least I hope it is."  He wrinkled his nose.  "God, I hope it is."

    "What are you muttering about now?"  He shrugged and shook his head.  "It doesn't matter."  He turned his head and focused on the piano.  "If you and Emily hadn't interrupted…" He sighed and tried to push the thoughts from his mind of the near kiss that he'd almost shared with Meryl.  "Maybe that's why she hates me now."

    "Who?  Who hates you?  And what did we interrupt?"  Vash found that he was, once again, confused.  "Would you at least try to make some sense, Knives?  I can't help if you don't, you know."

    "Meryl.  Meryl hates me.  I think it's because I almost…" He stopped and squinted across the table at his brother who was currently watching him expectantly.  "I don't want your help."  He finally finished, some small part of his brain not clouded by the alcohol and still working properly informed him that he'd almost blabbed the entire episode to his brother.  He had a feeling that wouldn't help his situation at all.

    "Of course you don't."  Vash nodded wisely and leaned forward again.  "C'mon, Knives.  I'm your brother.  Let me give you a hand."  He grinned and slapped his hand down on the table top.  "If there's something I know, it's women."  He nodded and reached for his nearly forgotten beer.  "Trust me on this.  I've been around them more than you."

    Knives scowled and leaned away from the table, nearly tipping his chair over in the process.  "Sure.  And that's why you have a permanent imprint of a woman's hand on your cheek.  Thanks, but I'll pass.  If I started listening to your advice on this subject I may as well declare myself a masochist and run naked through the streets begging for a woman to whip me into shape."

    Again, Vash found himself choking on his beer.  He managed to turn his head to the side and avoid showering his twin again.  "Hey!  What's that supposed to mean?"

    "It means you're an idiot, Vash."  Knives shook his head and stood shakily, making a quick grab for the table as the floor heaved beneath his feet and the room started spinning.  "I know all about your escapades with women and the luck you've had in gaining their attentions."  He blinked and swayed for a moment before finally righting himself and gaining some semblance of his usual equilibrium.  "I never did understand why you insisted on making a fool of yourself when you had a good woman right beside you all along."  He glared down at his brother who was currently staring at him with wide green eyes and an open mouth.  "You don't deserve her, Vash…but you have her and if you hurt her I'll have to hurt you."  With that said, he stumbled his way across the saloon and out the doors where he promptly tripped on the threshold and fell on his face.  His eyes crossed as he found himself staring at a pair of familiar white boots.  "Hey, Meryl…" He raised his hand weakly and waved clumsily before blacking out.


	35. Chapter 0035

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 35 **

****~****

    Knives groaned and squeezed his eyes shut against the painful light stabbing into his head.  Reaching to the side he groped for his pillow and slowly placed it over his face to block out the sunlight streaming in through the window beside his bed.  He couldn't remember the last time he felt this bad.  Had it been when Vash shot him?  No…before that… It was after the July City incident when his brother had nearly killed him with his Angel Arm.  He shuddered and immediately regretted the movement when his stomach rebelled and tried to crawl its way up his throat.  He fought down the nausea and sighed softly.  **So this is what a hangover feels like…** He thought as quietly as he could.  **Ugh…** His mouth felt like it was full of cotton balls and tasted worse than anything he could think to compare it to.  He decided right there that he was **never** drinking like that again.  Nothing was worth the agony he was currently feeling.

    He winced when someone pounded on his door, the sound reverberating through his aching head, followed immediately by the same door being opened with enough force that it banged into the wall.  He moaned and hugged the pillow closer against his face.  "Good morning, Knives!"  He whimpered pathetically at the loud, cheerful greeting from across the room.  "Want some breakfast?  How about bacon and eggs and toast and jam and peanut butter and…"

    "Shut up!  Have you no decency, Vash?  I'm dying here!"

    "Nah…you're not dying, brother.  It's just a hangover.  I get them all the time.  You'll be fine in a few hours."

    "So you say."  He muttered and scowled when his pillow was yanked from his grasp.  "Hey!  Give that back!"  He winced when his own voice echoed through his skull painfully.  "Damn it, Vash!  It's too bright in here.  Give me back my pillow."

    Vash grinned and sat heavily on the edge of the bed, jostling his brother's inert form.  "So…Knives…remember anything from last night?  Anything at all?"

    Knives decided that he hated his brother.  Yes, he hated him.  The smug look, the too cheerful tone of voice, the innocent grin cast in his direction…all of it combined with the aftereffects of his afternoon and night of over indulgence coalesced into a burning resentment directed at his twin.  "Go away and leave me in peace you moronic buffoon."

    Vash laughed and shook his head.  "Man…are you ever grumpy in the mornings.  Remind me to remember that next time you decide to cry into your drink and tell me your woes."

    Knives sat abruptly, ignoring the throbbing in his head and the heaving in his stomach and glared at his brother, lifting his hands to wrap his fingers around his neck.  "I did no such thing!"  He was annoyed at how easily Vash dodged the attack and fell back against the mattress with a groan.  "Leave me alone."

    "Nope.  No can do, brother."  He suddenly turned serious and pinned Knives with a stern glare that somehow seemed very out of place on his usually cheerful features.  "I think we have a few things to discuss."

    He cast him a dubious look before sighing and closing his eyes.  "I don't know what you're talking about."  He muttered and once again reminded himself to **never** drink in Vash's presence again.  The alcohol obviously didn't sit well with his Plant physiology and had loosened his tongue to an embarrassing degree.  Oh yes, he remembered the previous night with all too chilling clarity.

    "Then let me refresh your memory, brother dear."  Vash leaned over him forcing Knives to try to shrink back against the firm mattress at his back.  "How about that crack about spiders and butterflies?  Remember that?  'Spiders and butterflies, insects one and all' I believe is how you put it.  Care to explain that one, brother?  Or how about explaining what Emily and I supposedly interrupted?  Something between you and Meryl?  And while we're talking about Meryl, just when did you start liking her in **that** way?  Huh?"

    "Wh-what way?"  He flushed when his voice emerged more like a squeak than his usual cool and indifferent tones.  He scowled, deciding that he was still suffering from the effects of the alcohol he'd imbibed.  The human beverage had obviously poisoned him and addled his usual good sense.

    "Don't play dumb with me, brother.  I know you aren't as stupid as you're acting right now.  You're attracted to her!"  There was a definite jubilant tone to Vash's voice as he stared down at him smugly.  "Oh yeah.  You want her and you're just too stubborn to admit it."

    "W-want…" He choked and lifted his arms to shove against his brother forcefully, knocking him off the bed and onto the hard floor with a loud thump.  "Her?!"  He swung his legs over the edge of the mattress and glared at his twin where he lay sprawled in an ungainly heap beside the bed.  "Just where the hell do you come up with these fool notions of yours?"

    Vash jumped to his feet and brushed at imaginary dust on his coat.  "Hey, I'm only repeating what you told me, Knives."

    "I told you no such thing.  I'd remember something like that.  I never said anything about wanting her in…in that way."  He flushed and looked away quickly.  "I can't believe you!  Are all your thoughts hormonally related, Vash?"

    He snorted and shook his head.  "I'm not the sexually repressed one here, Knives.  You've spent your entire adult life isolated and in denial that you probably wouldn't recognize it if it jumped up and bopped you on the head."

    He flinched, unable to deny the truth of that statement, but stubbornly refused to admit that his somewhat confused feelings towards Meryl could be what his brother was currently implying.  He sat up straighter with as much dignity as he could muster considering he was currently suffering from what he suspected to be the mother of all hangovers with his hair sticking up in multiple directions and his rumpled clothing twisted awkwardly around his body.  "Unlike you, dear brother, I am not stuck in some perpetual pubescent limbo where my actions are dictated by physical reactions instigated by rampaging hormones."

    "Sure you're not."  Vash smirked and, if anything, looked even more smug than before.  "Then why are you so upset, huh?  If it isn't true, then why are blushing, Knives?"

    "I am **not** blushing!"  He jumped to his feet and glared at his twin.  "It's hot in here.  It's merely a physical reaction to the current temperature of the room!"

    "Why are you hiding from the truth?  Just admit it and you'll feel better."  He shook his head and folded his arms across his chest.  "You've always tried to deny that you have feelings, brother, choosing to hide behind logic and cold detachment.  You can't keep doing that.  You have to face the fact that you have emotions just like the rest of us."

    He threw his hands up in frustration.  "What do you want from me?  I've already compromised more than I ever thought I would.  I'm no longer trying to eradicate the human race from the universe.  I've even started to see some good in the pathetic primates!  What else do you want from me, Vash?"

    "Well, that's a step up.  We're no longer insects to be squashed beneath your divine boot heel."  He choked at the cool…and very familiar…voice addressing him from the still open door.  He was almost afraid to look but found that he couldn't stop himself.  He wondered how much of the conversation Meryl had overheard.  "So, rather than being parasitic organisms or disgusting spiders, we're now pathetic primates.  Gee…should I be gratified to know that we've evolved that much in your godly opinion, Knives?"

    "Uh…" He found himself unable to form a coherent reply to her sarcastic response to his previous comment.

    "I see."  She scowled and crossed the room to stand toe to toe with him and glared.  "How dare you?"  She asked in a seething whisper.  "How dare you stand there and proclaim yourself a higher being and the rest of us mere peons within your glorious kingdom?  If anyone is pathetic here, it's you!"  She emphasized her point by jabbing a finger into his chest.  "You drool, you moron!"

    He blinked and stared at her in surprise.  "Drool?"  He asked, almost afraid to know.

    "In your drunken incoherency last night we had to carry you back to your room.  You insisted that I tuck you in…big baby!...and then to top it off, you latched on and refused to let go until five o'clock this morning!  And yes, you **drool**!"

    He looked to Vash for help and saw that none would be coming from that direction.  His brother was currently doubled over and laughing so hard his face was turning red from the near silent wheezes of his amusement.  "I…" He frowned and looked down at Meryl again.  "I don't remember doing that."

    "Of course not.  You were drunk.  Honestly…it must be genetic or something.  Both you and Vash…I don't know if I can take this!"  She stepped back and threw her hands up in the air.  "Between the two of you I'm certain to end up with a nervous twitch!"

    He frowned and slowly lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed again.  He remembered standing clumsily and staggering across the saloon's floor…something had tripped him as he tried to go out the door… He raised a hand and absently rubbed at his temples where the hangover induced headache still throbbed painfully.  He vaguely remembered seeing a familiar pair of white boots and that was it until this morning when he'd awakened to bright light stabbing into his eyes and a God-awful taste in his mouth.  He had no idea how he'd ended up in a bed when the last thing he remembered were the hard planks of the boardwalk beneath him.  He glared at Vash where he was currently rolling on the floor laughing his fool head off.  "Stop that.  You sound like a braying donkey, you broom headed simpleton!"  To his further annoyance, this seemed to amuse his brother even more and set him off into peals of near-hysterical laughter.  He thought for a moment of standing and kicking him, but decided that it would take too much effort and instead flopped back on the bed to stare up at the ceiling.  "Ugh…"

    The bed dipped as Meryl sat beside him.  "Indeed.  You know, it wasn't that bad.  Sure, it was inconvenient and annoying as hell, but I suppose you needed the release after over a century of being so uptight."  She shrugged and patted his shoulder.  "At least we now know that you really don't have a pole shoved up where the suns don't shine."  She grinned down at him and, to his utter shock, reached out and ruffled his already tousled hair.  "You can actually be funny sometimes, Knives.  It's gratifying to know that you actually have a personality in there…" She tapped his head gently.  "Even if you don't let it show very often."

    Females, he decided, were confusing as hell.  He'd thought she was angry, what with the way she'd been glaring and shouting…much to his throbbing skull's dismay…yet she certainly didn't appear to be angry now.  Maybe it was because of the hangover, but he just couldn't seem to think of anything to say in response to her odd comments.  So, instead of trying to say something and probably end up putting his foot in his mouth…again…he decided that it would be much more prudent to remain silent and try to block out the sound of his brother's amusement and the strange swirl of confusing thoughts and feelings the woman was inspiring in him.  "I'm never drinking again…" He vowed quietly and closed his eyes with a heavy sigh.


	36. Chapter 0036

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 36 **

****~****

    "Well…I guess this is it, then."  Vash sniffled and suddenly turned to Knives, throwing his arms around him and wiping his face against his shoulder.  Knives grimaced and tried his level best to disentangle himself from his brother's clinging grasp.  "Oh Knives!  Our little Emily is leaving!"  His wail was immediately followed by bouts of weeping.

    Knives managed to shove his openly sobbing twin away from him and took several hasty steps away, an almost wild look of panic in his wide blue eyes as Vash appeared to be ready to glomp onto him again.  "For God's sake, Vash!  Stop that, you're making a scene!"  He looked around hastily and cleared his throat, a flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck into his face.  "People are staring!"  He hissed as he sidestepped his brother again.

    Meryl shook her head and tried to ignore the brothers and their antics.  Vash currently had tears streaming down his face as he chased Knives around the street in a pathetic attempt at drawing his reluctant brother into a 'comforting' embrace.  For his part, Knives looked like he'd rather have his limbs severed and then beat against his head rather than let the weeping gunman get anywhere near him.  Not that she could blame him, of course.  Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon, a feared outlaw with a bounty of sixty billion double dollars on his head was quite possibly the most emotionally comfortable man she'd ever seen.  Unlike most males, he didn't seem to be afraid to cry in public and did so frequently.  She had to admit that, as nice as it was to know that there was at least one man on the planet that wasn't emotionally repressed, that it was bothersome and annoying at times.  Like now.  She tried to remain calm, but found that she just didn't have the energy to battle the irritation rising in her.  "Would you two knock it off?!"  She shouted and turned back to the source of Vash's current emotional outburst, the resulting silence almost deafening after the scene the two brothers had been creating in the street.  "Are you sure about this?  I mean, you know you're welcome to stay for as long as you like…" She let the sentence trail off when the taller woman smiled serenely.

    "Thank you, Meryl, but I really think I should go.  There's so much I want to learn still…so much I want to see."  Emily looked pointedly towards her brothers.  "With those two around it's impossible to really live.  They're so overprotective it's scary sometimes."  She shrugged and brushed her long hair back, tucking it behind her ear.  "I'll never get to experience anything on my own with them around."  She grinned impishly and spread her arms out.  "I want to experience it all!  Life, love and liberty!"  She laughed, reminding her companions instantly of Vash during one of his crazed 'love and peace' spiels.  "I can't do that if Vash-brother and Knives-brother are hanging all over me and glaring at any nice looking man that might happen to look my way."

    Meryl cleared her throat and laughed uneasily when she thought she heard a low growl from Knives' direction.  "I'm sure they mean well, Emily."

    "Sure…I know that…but geez!  I'm one hundred and eighty-four years old, Meryl!  I think I'm old enough to make my own choices in life.  Besides, do you know how pathetic it is to be this old and still a virgin?  I mean, really!  I've never even been kissed yet!"  Meryl's face heated instantly.  "Unless I get out on my own I'll end up dying an old maid and as far as I'm concerned that's just too terrible to contemplate!"

    Millie stepped forward and shook her finger in Emily's face under her nose.  "You just be careful, Miss Emily.  There are bad men out there who wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of you."  She nodded wisely before drawing the older woman into her arms for a near bone crushing hug and smiled cheerfully.  "But putting that aside, I hope you find what you're looking for."

    When Emily finally managed to disentangle herself from Millie's hug, she turned to face her brothers reluctantly.  "Well…" She began, feeling tears begin to sting her eyes.  "I guess this is really it."  She tried to summon a smile and winced when it failed horribly.  Giving up, the let the tears flow and threw her arms around Vash.  "Oh Vash-brother!  I'm going to miss you **so** much!  I'm so glad I finally got to meet you!"  She sniffled and squeezed, smiling a little when he wheezed slightly from the pressure but returned her embrace with one of his own, only not quite as crushing.  "I had so much fun with you and Millie!"

    "Yeah…me, too."  Vash rubbed his cheek against his sisters pale blond head and sighed.  "Emily…you're squeezing too tight."  He whispered gently as he felt his bones creak and the metal grid on his chest push against her shoulder in what he knew must be a most uncomfortable position.  She released him slowly, with seeming reluctance and looked up at him solemnly.  He blinked and tilted his head to the side as he tried to decipher the odd look in her smoky eyes.  "What?"

    Lowering her voice so only he could hear, she lightly punched him on the shoulder.  "You better get in gear and tell Millie what's in here, Vash-brother!"  She placed her hand against his chest over his heart.  "I don't want to come back and find out that you're still procrastinating, brother!"  Before Vash could form a reply she'd turned from him and looked at Knives.  Drawing in a deep breath she approached him slowly, wary gaze fixed on his impassive features.  "Knives-brother…" She began slowly, hesitantly.  "H-how does one thank another for giving them life?"  She whispered as she halted before him.  "You freed me, taught me everything I needed to survive, saved me when I couldn't save myself…" She swallowed and raised a hand to rest her palm lightly against his cheek.  "I am who I am because you gave me the chance to be **free**.  I can't thank you enough for all that you've done."

    Knives allowed a slight smile to curve his lips upwards and tilted his head forward to gaze into her eyes steadily.  "Emily-sister…" He murmured softly and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.  "You are a butterfly, Emily…and now you are spreading your wings."  He stepped back and fixed her with a stern glare.  "Stay out of trouble, sister."  Somehow, it was harder this time to let her go.  Before, after he'd freed her and taught her the basics of survival in the harsh world, it had been much easier to let her go her own way.  But now, after spending so much time in her company, he found that he'd become accustomed to her occasionally irritating chatter and seeming lack of good sense.  And yet, beneath the innocence she portrayed to the world at large, he knew she was wise beyond comprehension.  He was going to miss her.

    **Knives-brother…** He blinked in surprise when he heard her mental voice whispering softly through his mind like a gentle caress.  They hadn't used their telepathic link since he'd freed her from her bulb.  **Listen well, brother.  You can't hide from your emotions forever and you're just wasting time trying to do so.**

    **Emily?**  He wasn't certain he wanted to know where she was going with this.  He had a feeling he wasn't going to like it at all.

    **Love is a precious gift and is rarely found…stop being a ninny and tell her how you feel already!**  She grinned and stepped away from him.  "Well, goodbye!"  She raised her hand and waved casually as she turned and scooped up her travel bag before striding down the street.

    "Ninny?"  He muttered and shook his head slowly.  There were times he honestly thought his siblings truly wanted to drive him insane.  Between Emily and Vash, he knew he wasn't going to find any peace until he gave in and did what they wanted.  The thing was, he really **did** want to follow their advice and not so subtle hints, but he just didn't know if he could.  He was a logical being and by his calculations the odds of success in such an endeavor were definitely not in his favor.  He didn't like gambling when the odds were so obviously against him and in this game coming in second wasn't good enough.  He glanced over at Meryl and found her gaze settled on his brother.  He sighed and shook his head again.  No, the odds weren't good at all.  


	37. Chapter 0037

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 37 **

****~****

    Knives leaned back in his chair and stared at a point somewhere beyond his brother's shoulder.  He decided that this had to be one of the most uncomfortable breakfasts he'd ever participated in.  Meryl kept casting strange looks in Vash's direction and in return Vash kept squirming in his chair and knocking his knees against the table which earned him glares in between the odd looks he was receiving.  Millie had excused herself to go check the mail…how they'd arranged to have a post box so quickly was beyond him…and that left him to watch the bizarre interaction between his brother and Meryl.  He was beginning to regret not taking up the tall woman's offer to accompany her on her errand to the post office.  Anything, including her inane and annoyingly cheerful chatter, would be better than the slow torture he was currently enduring.  He slumped a little further down in his chair and tried to ignore the way Meryl had now attained a twitch in her neck which seemed to be directed between Vash, himself and the door to the café.  If he didn't know better, he's almost swear she was trying to communicate non-verbally something of utmost importance to his bird brained brother.

    He sighed and shifted again before finally standing abruptly.  "I'll just leave you two to whatever it is you seem to want to discuss."  He shook his head and stalked across the café and out the door into the brilliant light of midmorning.  Pausing on the boardwalk, he debated on what he should do now that he'd made his grand exit.  He shrugged and decided that some target practice should calm his nerves.  There was nothing quite like the feel of his gun in his hand, the smell of gunpowder in his nose and the satisfying sound of glass shattering as the bullets shot from the black barrel of his gun.  Nodding to himself, he made his way to the edge of town where he'd set up a temporary target range.  He'd been feeling uncomfortably frustrated lately and shooting innocent bottles seemed to relieve the tension somewhat…especially when he envisioned them to be different parts of his brother's anatomy.

    After setting up the bottles into neat rows, he paced back until he felt he was at a suitably challenging distance.  Whirling back to face his targets, he rapidly drew his gun and fired six shots.  He sighed when all six hit their intended targets and the bottles shattered.  Breaking open the chamber, he emptied the spent casings and replaced them with live ammunition before once again setting up another row of bottles and pacing off away from them, this time a little further.  He had to admit that there really wasn't anything challenging in shooting stationary targets.  What he'd **really** like to do at the moment was use his brother to brush up on his skills.  He smirked at the thought and closed his eyes, envisioning Vash's likely reaction if he were to request his participation.  He'd probably be all for it until he discovered that **he'd** be the target.

    He shook his head and raised the gun again to fire, the recoil lifting the muzzle minutely as the bullet leapt from the barrel to fly towards the bottles.  He was annoyed with his twin.  Very annoyed.  Irritated, even.  He fired again.  Oh how he'd dearly love to strangle his brother and put himself out of his misery.  Another shot and another target shattered into sparkling shards of green glass.  Maybe strangling wasn't the right form of violence.  Perhaps something a little more time consuming.  Something that wouldn't be over too quickly.  Once again he squeezed the trigger, the scent of burning gunpowder wafting up around his head from his extended arm.  And it would have to hurt.  A lot.  He lowered his arm and bowed his head.  As much as he was irritated with his brother, he knew he'd never do anything to actually cause him harm.  He may as well give up even thinking about it.  It wasn't making him feel any better any way.

    He needed to find a way to release his pent up frustrations and anger.  Something…constructive.  Tilting his head to the side he pondered that line of thinking.  What could he possibly do that would keep his mind occupied and his body too busy to dwell on the impossible situation he currently found himself in?  The answer was obvious.  He looked up at the sky for a moment, mulling the idea over in his mind before swiftly holstering his gun and heading back towards town and the café where he'd left Vash and Meryl.  He'd probably given them enough time to talk about whatever it was that was bothering them.

    Pushing open the door he waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the change in light and looked around quickly.  He crossed over to where his brother was sitting slouched in his chair and looking uncharacteristically thoughtful while Meryl leaned forward with an intent expression on her delicate features.  He closed his eyes briefly and drew in a deep, calming breath.  Releasing it, he opened his eyes and stopped at the table.  "Vash."  Two sets of eyes swiveled to him.  "I have an idea but I need your help."

    Vash sat up a little straighter and looked up at him curiously.  "Oh?  What's on your mind, brother?"  Meryl appeared to be trying to look anywhere but at him, a slight blush staining her cheeks.  He wondered briefly just what they'd been discussing when he'd oh so inconveniently interrupted.  He decided to push the thought out of his mind.  He had more important things to think about at the moment.  He was certain his brother was going to like this idea…in fact, he was sure Vash would want to get started immediately.

    Knives allowed a self-satisfied smirk to curve his lips upwards.  "Two words, Vash…two words."  He paused and grinned.  "Solar.  Power."      


	38. Chapter 0038

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 38 **

****~****

    Vash stood straight and swiped a hand over his face, brushing away dust, sweat and general grime.  "Well…" He said with a deep, contented sigh.  "It was so simple…" He smiled and draped his arm across Knives' shoulders.  "I'm impressed, Knives…real impressed.  It was a good idea."

    He snorted and studied the fruits of their labors with a critical eye.  "No, Vash…it wasn't a good idea."  He stated with a slight frown.  "It was a brilliant idea.  Admit it, brother…the only reason you never did this before was because you just didn't…"

    "I know, I know."  Vash sighed and dropped his arm, some of his happy feelings draining away.  "You're the smarter of the two, you come up with the brilliant plans, and I'm just the dumb ass brother who goes along with them and provides grunt labor.  Yeah.  I know the routine."

    Knives scowled and shook his head.  "That isn't what I meant, but if you insist, then fine."  He shrugged and turned away to stare at the panels lined up and angled to receive the full benefit of the twin suns the planet orbited.  "And it wasn't my idea, Vash.  It was Emily's."  He felt his brother's gaze on him and shrugged again.  "She was the one who originally came up with the idea to harness the solar power of the planet when I first freed her.  The idea was to exchange the solar panels and the energy they would provide for the Plants still in captivity.  Unfortunately, I don't think the humans will accept such an exchange."

    "Yeah…they might get a little uptight if they learned that their power sources were actually sentient beings…another species.  Might cause mass panic."

    "Or worse.  I'm not about to let myself be someone's guinea pig, Vash.  I refuse to be an experiment again."

    "Again?  What do you mean?"  Vash studied his brother's profile intently and frowned when he saw the uneasiness in his expression.  "Knives?"

    "Do you know what we are, Vash?"  He asked softly without looking at him.  "We're Plants, yes…but there's more to us than just that.  Have you ever wondered why we were the only Plants to exist outside the bulbs?"

    "It's because we were born outside the bulbs, right?"  He asked hesitantly, tone uncertain.

    "That's part of it, yes.  But we're not just Plants, Vash…we're more than that."  He finally turned and stared hard at his brother.  "We're hybrids…an experiment."  He shook his head and closed his hands into fists at his sides.  "A **failed** experiment.  I found the documentation on the ship I found Emily in.  We're the product of a scientific experiment that apparently failed.  We were **created** with both human and Plant DNA.  That's why we're different.  The other Plants can never be freed, Vash…they'd never survive outside of their bulbs.  Their bodies couldn't withstand the shock of separation or the exposure to the world beyond their glass cages.  They're prisoners, and we can never free them…not truly free them.  It would kill them."

    "But what about Emily?  You freed her.  That has to mean something, right?"

    "It means that she's just like us.  A hybrid.  I don't know if there are any more like us, but the way it stands, the Plants are probably better off where they are."  He sighed and shook his head, weary in both body and soul.  "I've spent all these years in pursuit of an impossible dream."  He turned away and stared at the solar panels again.  "What does one do when there's nothing left to hope for?"  He asked quietly.

    Vash scowled at his brother's back and the slight droop to his shoulders.  "You find something else to hope for!  Find another dream and pursue it!  You don't just give up, Knives.  That isn't the way life works…not real life anyway."

    He shook his head though he felt a reluctant smile tugging at his lips.  "My brother, the optimist."  He turned his face up to the clear blue sky and closed his eyes.  "And what would you suggest?"

    "I don't know!"  He threw his hands up and stalked closer to him.  "You have to decide for yourself, you know.  But how about this for starters…get off your butt and do something about the situation between you and Meryl.  You're both starting to drive me nuts with your moping!"

    "Meryl?"  He blinked and stared at his twin for a moment in silence.  "What does she have to do with anything?"

    "Oh for…" Vash was obviously battling his frustration and not doing a very good job of it.  "Look, Knives.  I know you love her so stop bellyaching and tell her already!"

    He snorted and shook his head.  "So what if I do?  It changes nothing."

    "What?"  He scratched his head as he tried to come to terms with the fact that his brother had finally, after **months** of denial, admitted the truth of his feelings for the small woman.  "What do you mean by that?  I don't get it."

    "She'll never see me in that way, Vash.  There's no point in dwelling on it when there's no way to change it."  He shrugged and turned to start the short walk back to the town they'd settled in for the last several months.  "Let's go back.  The mayor will want to know that it's all set up and ready to go online."

    "Not so fast!"  He grabbed his brother's shoulder and halted his retreat.  "Are we talking about the same woman?  We're talking about Meryl, right?"  Knives nodded curtly.  "Okay…just making sure 'cause for a minute there you had me confused.  I don't know what gave you the idea that she doesn't care about you…"

    He rolled his eyes and shrugged of his twin's hand from his shoulder.  "I never said she didn't **care**, Vash.  I know she does.  But there's a world of difference between caring and loving…" He looked down at the sand beneath his feet and shifted uncomfortably.  "Look, I know how she feels, Vash.  It's plain to see."  He looked up again and smiled sadly.  "I've seen the way she looks at you and believe me, if I thought there was a chance that she might look at me that way I wouldn't hesitate…but there isn't so I won't wish for something that I'll never have.  Do you understand now?  Do you see why nothing changes?"

    "M-me?!"  Vash choked as the word emerged on a high pitched squeak.  He raised his hands and waved them around frantically.  "N-no!  No, no, no!"  He grabbed Knives by the shoulders and shook him roughly, green eyes narrowed with almost desperate determination.  "She doesn't look at me that way, Knives!  At least she hasn't for a long time…maybe before…but not now…definitely not now!  God I hope not now!"  He frowned and looked away briefly.  "Please, God, not now!"  He cleared his throat and continued shaking his brother, his green gaze snapping back up to stare into his own startled blue one.  "Millie!  Millie, Knives!  Millie looks at me that way, not Meryl!"

    "S-stop…" Knives gritted his teeth.  "Stop shaking me!"  He reached up and shoved Vash's hands away from his shoulders and took a quick step back, putting some distance between them.  "Damn it, Vash, get a hold of yourself!"

    "I ought to knock some sense into that intellectual head of yours!"  Knives backed up quickly at the hard look his brother was giving him.  "Stop thinking and start **feeling**!"

    "I **am** feeling!"  He shouted back, shifting his stance and closing his hands into fists.  "That's the problem, you pea-brain!  I'm feeling something I've never felt before and I don't know how to deal with it!"  He threw his head back and closed his eyes.  "It **hurts**!"  He cried in anguish and slowly sank to his knees in the sand.  "It hurts and I don't know how to make it stop."  He finished on a hoarse whisper as he bowed his head, shoulders slumping in defeat.  "I hate this feeling of…of…" He searched for the appropriate words to describe the enormity of the emotions swirling through him.  "Not being able to think properly when she's around…of hurting all the time…of hoping for something that will never be…of knowing that no matter what I do she'll never, never love me as I love her…because…because…" He drew in a harsh, ragged breath and slowly looked up at his brother staring at him with sad, knowing eyes.  "Because no matter what you say, she'll always love you, brother."  


	39. Chapter 0039

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 39 **

****~****

    After his emotional outburst, Knives had closeted himself away in his room and refused to emerge or speak to anyone, including Vash…especially Vash.  He closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the wall and sighed deeply.  He didn't know why he'd revealed so much to his brother and he was definitely regretting it now that he'd had a few days to think on it.  He should've just kept his mouth shut and walked away.  He knew that…had known it then…but still he'd gone and confessed his true feelings, just blurted it all out.  He didn't know what had possessed him to say all that he had, but there was no way to take the words back, not now that they'd been spoken.  He felt both physically and emotionally drained in the aftermath of it all.

    Life had been much simpler back when he'd hated all the humans.  Hate was an easy emotion to deal with.  It was simple, really.  Hate and anger were both easily dealt with.  He was familiar with the two emotions.  They were almost comforting in comparison to what he was currently feeling.  Hate and anger didn't hurt, not like this.  They didn't leave him sleepless at night or unable to eat because his stomach was all tied up in knots.  They didn't make him wish for things that he had no right even thinking of.  They didn't make him long for something he'd never have.  They didn't leave him cold and shaking and feeling so utterly alone at night that he longed for an end to his misery.  He decided that if what he was feeling was the human emotion referred to as love, then he didn't want any part of it.  Of course, it was easier said than done.  He had no idea how to turn off the emotion now that it had crept up on him and taken over almost all of his thought processes.

    He couldn't see why the humans all seemed to seek this terrible feeling.  In everything they said or did, they were always referring to it in one form or another.  It moved them to perform acts they'd never normally fathom doing, spouting odes to the object of their affections, strutting around and attempting to gain favor in their uncomfortable suits and too tight shoes.  Some were even moved to commit violence in the name of passion.  It confused him.  If love was such a wonderful and positive emotion, then why would men abuse those they claimed to love?  Why would women murder the men they professed to adore?  It seemed worse, somehow, than all the hate and anger he'd ever harbored during his lifetime.  Humans would say one thing and mean another, their words often didn't match the feelings being projected.  And yet, one and all sought out the elusive and often fickle emotion called love.  Why?  Why would they do that?  Why would they purposely set themselves up for the pain he was currently feeling?  Was there something he was missing?  Some greater truth beyond what he'd learned thus far?

    Meryl had once accused him of being a masochist and he'd hotly denied it, knowing that pain wasn't something he enjoyed feeling at all.  So…why was he currently in such misery?  Were all humans, in some form or another, pain-seekers?  It was the only explanation behind their obsession with actively searching for and embracing the agony of the emotion labeled love.  Was love just an excuse to feel and inflict pain on others without actually admitting to wanting to feel that wrenching ache?  If so, then why was he currently in that position when he knew that he hated pain?

    Love, he decided bitterly, was tremendously overrated and he'd been better off before he discovered it.  "Ah…love, the greatest evil of the world…hate has nothing on it."  He muttered under his breath as he raised his hands to wearily scrub his face.  His life had become a nightmare.  Ever since Vash had decided that he was worth saving, nothing had gone right for him.  He knew that he couldn't mope in his room forever, as much as he'd like to, and that he'd have to face the world eventually…including his brother and…Meryl.  "But not yet…not yet…" He shifted and slowly allowed his tired body to stretch out on the floor he was currently sitting on, his back to the corner of the room far from the light managing to peek through the drawn curtains.  Lying on his side, he rested his head against the floor and stared sightless towards the darker recesses beneath his bed.  The floor was hard and unyielding, but he didn't mind.  It was pleasantly cool, much more comfortable than across the room where the bed rested beneath the window and absorbed the blistering heat of the day.  They needed an air cooling unit.  He frowned slightly and pursed his lips thoughtfully.  There might even be one still in working order in the ship he'd found Emily in.  He would mention it to Vash…later…much later.  He needed to regain some semblance of his usual logical thinking.  He couldn't emerge from his self-imposed solitary confinement until he could manage to maintain his composure around the others occupying the small house.  Until then…he'd remain isolated and try to work through the roiling emotions twirling around through his mind at dizzying speeds.

    He sighed again and slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position again.  He really couldn't be lying about on the floor.  If someone were to walk in on him in such an embarrassing position he'd never live it down, no matter what the excuse he gave.  He doubted Meryl or Millie would violate his privacy by entering without knocking first, but his brother…he shook his head and stood, stretching his cramped muscles…Vash wouldn't hesitate to barge right in whether he was invited or not.  He glanced over at the door and shrugged before crossing to it and flipping the lock to open.  As much as he wanted to hide away for a few decades, he knew it wasn't fair to his brother.  Vash, as he'd been frequently screaming at him through their telepathic link, was worried about him.  So, next time he came knocking, he'd let him come in.  That didn't mean he'd actually leave the private sanctity of his room, it just meant that he was willing to assuage his brother's anxieties, nothing more.  Of course, he was beginning to feel a little hungry…he suspected that three days of emotional misery and lack of meals had something to do with it.

**_Author's Notes:_****__**

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**_This was a very difficult chapter to write and I'm not entirely happy with the outcome.  I'm afraid that Knives, instead of sounding suitably angsty ended up sound more whiney than anything.  **blah**  Sorry.  I tried._**

****

**_To everyone who has been reviewing, Thank you!!! ^_^x_**

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**_And to those who haven't…what are you waiting for?  Huh?_**

****

**_'Love and Peace'!!!_**

****

**_^_^x_**

****

**_Chiruken_**


	40. Chapter 0040

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 40 **

****~****

    Knives opened the door slowly, wincing when the hinges protested the movement with a long, drawn out squeak, and held his breath as he waited to see if the sound alerted anyone to his presence.  When all remained silent save for the soft snores emanating from Millie and Meryl's room he breathed a silent sigh of relief and mentally cursed his brother for not oiling the hinges when he said he was going to.  Stepping out into the hall he winced again when the floor creaked.  **Damn it!  Is the whole blasted house against me now?**  Shaking his head he shuffled forward cringing at each loose floorboard that let out what, to his ears, were deafening creaks of protestation to his weight.  Making his way down the endless hallway towards the stairs he bit back a startled yell when he stepped on the cat's tail and it let out a yowl guaranteed to wake the dead before glaring at him with baleful yellow eyes and scampering down the stairs, making enough racket to wake even his brother from his usual heavy sleep.  **I thought cats were supposed to be quiet!**  Giving up all pretense of stealth, he all but scurried down the stairs and tripped on the rug at the bottom and nearly fell on his face, knocking into the small table by the door.  He made a desperate grab for the vase that wobbled precariously and let out his breath on a whoosh of air when he caught it, falling heavily in the process, saving it from smashing loudly on the floor he was currently sprawled out on.  "I hate my life."  He muttered under his breath as he jumped to his feet and set the vase back in its previous position of the now steady table.

    Looking up the stairs he waited, but when no sound greeted his ears he shrugged and continued on his way towards the kitchen.  He was amazed that no one had awakened, what with all the noise he'd just made.  He shook his head and yelped when his shin came in harsh contact with what he assumed to be the couch.  Bending he rubbed his hand against the bruised limb and limped the rest of the way to the kitchen.  He was beginning to think he should've just stayed in his room.  Was he really all that hungry?  When his stomach rumbled at the mere thought of food he sighed.  Yes, he was that hungry.  Moving through the doorway he pictured the layout that he remembered and made his way towards the refrigerator and cursed under his breath when he nearly tripped over a chair on the way.  Releasing a harsh string of rather imaginative profanities under his breath, he shoved the chair out of the way and continued towards his destination.

    "Why the hell is it so damned dark in here?"  He grumbled as he bumped into the refrigerator and reached for the handle.  Sure, he could've switched on the light, but if someone emerged from their room that would've alerted them immediately that he was out and about.  He'd rather avoid them for a while longer if he could.  Opening the door he swore again when the light failed to come on.  "The whole place is falling apart!"  He reached in blindly, deciding that he would just take the first thing he came across and be glad he found even that.  His eyes widened and he blinked several times when his fingers came into contact with something…gooey.  Grimacing in disgust he pulled his hand back and held it out from him as far as he could while trying not to breath.  If he wasn't mistaken, he'd found Vash's salmon that he'd been complaining about losing for the past two weeks judging by the odor.  He shuddered and closed the door again as he shuffled towards the sink.  He really wasn't having any luck, none at all.  "Maybe there's crackers in the cupboard…" He muttered as he found the dishcloth, blessedly still damp, and wiped the offensive goop from his fingers.  "Vash and his salmon sandwiches.  Yech…"

    A soft sound near the doorway leading back into the main part of the house caught his attention and he whirled just as the light came on, momentarily blinding him, followed immediately by agony exploding through his skull, dropping him to his knees.  "Oh my gosh!  Knives!"  Dimly through the ringing in his ears he heard something clatter to the floor.  He assumed it was a weapon of some sort and the same object that had very recently connected with his head in a most disagreeable way.  "I'm **so** sorry!"  He felt small hands tugging on his arm.  "Here…come sit on the chair and I'll get come ice."  He moved without saying a word.  His head hurt too much to even think about talking, never mind actually doing it.

    Leaning forward, he rested his aching head in his hands, elbows propped up on his knees, and closed his eyes.  Meryl…it had to be Meryl.  Who else hit so damned hard?  Of course, if it would've been Millie, he'd probably be laid out and unconscious.  The tall woman sometimes didn't know her own strength.  "I knew I should've just stayed in my room…" He muttered and winced when something cold was pressed against the spot that was currently sporting a rather nasty bump.

    "I'm really sorry, Knives.  I didn't know it was you, I swear."  The silence stretched for several minutes as she continued to apply the ice to his injury and he felt no need to break it.  He closed his eyes and sighed inwardly.  He'd been purposely trying to avoid everyone…especially Meryl…and here he was with her practically in his lap.  He really had rottenest of luck these days.  "Um…what were you doing in the dark?"

    He cracked one eye open and shrugged.  "I was hungry."  He offered by way of explanation and winced when she moved the ice pack and applied more pressure.  "Not so hard!"  He yelped and wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pulled her hand away slightly.  "I'm injured here!"

    "I know and I'm sorry."  She sniffed and wrinkled her nose.  "What's that smell?"

    "The salmon spread Vash has been looking for."  He held up his hand and grimaced.  "I managed to find it."

    "Ew!"  She grabbed the cloth from the sink and handed it to him.  "That's disgusting!  It has to be at least two weeks old by now."

    "I think it might be multiplying."  He answered dryly as he finished wiping the residual traces of two week old salmon spread from his fingers.  "It's in the back of the 'fridge if you're interested."  He set the cloth on the table and watched as she tossed the ice pack into the sink before opening the door to the refrigerator with one hand and covered her nose and mouth with the other.

    "I'm surprised Millie hasn't found it yet.  Must be because of that cold she has."  She narrowed her eyes and reached inside.  "This is probably one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen."  She pulled the bowl out and held it as far from her as her arm would allow her to reach while pinching her nose shut.  "Yuck!"

    Knives suddenly grinned and stood, reaching for the bowl.  "Here…I'll take that."  He had just the right place to put it.  "I think Vash deserves to know that his precious salmon was found.  That way maybe he'll stop whining about it."

    Her eyes widened as she stared from the bowl to him and back.  "What are you planning to do with it, Knives?"  His only reply was a rather nasty smirk which, after a moment, she returned.  "All right…I think it would serve him right, but you're on your own, Knives.  I am **not** taking any responsibility for this."  He shrugged and made his way out of the kitchen, up the stairs and stopped at the door to his brother's room.  So far so good and no mishaps with cats, rugs, tables or couches.  He was rather pleased.  Slowly opening the door he frowned when he discovered that **this** door didn't squeak as his had.  **Figures.** He thought in disgust.  **Probably wanted to keep tabs on me.**  It only took a moment for Knives to complete his mission and run as Vash came up shouting and promising retribution.  **Oh yeah…life can be good…** Knives thought as he returned to the kitchen with a wide grin.


	41. Chapter 0041

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 41 **

****~****

    It had been three days and surprisingly no one had asked why Knives had decided to emerge from his self-imposed solitary confinement.  Nor did they ask why he'd closeted himself away in the first place.  Normally he'd be overjoyed by the fact that he wasn't being interrogated, unfortunately in this case it had him worried.  He was beginning to suspect that his brother might have blabbed his impromptu confession about his true feelings towards Meryl and that was why no one bothered to ask.  It was either that or they just didn't care one way or another and somehow that didn't seem all too likely.  After all, all three of his 'roommates' had taken turns pounding on his door and asking why he wasn't coming out.  So that left the first assumption.  He shrugged.  As long as no one pestered him about it, he wouldn't have to bring untold pain upon his brother's being.  As far as he was concerned, what he'd accidentally blurted out to his twin should be kept between the two of them and not involve anyone else.  It wasn't information he wanted getting out to everyone living in the house…especially not Meryl.  It wouldn't do him any good even if she **did** know how he truly felt towards her and he highly doubted that would be something she'd want to hear.  No, the less people that knew, the better in the long run.

    Knives was fairly certain that he could maintain an impartial façade around Meryl.  After all, how hard could it be to hide his true feelings?  He managed it when he was a child, so as an adult it should be relatively simple.  Of course, this was a little different than hiding plans to kill everyone on board the Seeds ship.  He pushed the thought aside and focused instead on returning to the present.  He wouldn't dwell on it.  The time he'd spent isolated in his room had given him new insight into his predicament.  He decided that if he just ignored it, it would go away.  Thus resolved, he waited for it to happen.  After three days, he was beginning to wonder if he'd been wrong in his assumption.

    He shook himself out of his thoughts and focused instead on his brother who was currently wearing a frilly pink and white apron while he danced…with a remarkable lack of rhythm…to the music he was listening to through the earphones attached to the portable music player clipped to his belt while preparing lunch.  He shook his head and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, and tried to decide if the food appeared to be edible.  He knew Vash could cook, but there were times he seriously wondered how that could be possible when nearly every meal he prepared turned out to be visually displeasing.  In other words, whenever Vash cooked he'd made it into a game of 'guess what it is **this** time'.  It may taste decent, but it certainly looked like something that should be thrown on the trash heap.  This time it appeared to be no different.

    "Vash."  He spoke loudly and waited for his twin to acknowledge him.  He tapped his foot impatiently as he continued to bounce around without turning or speaking.  "Vash."  He spoke louder and waited again.  Finally sighing, he stood and approached his brother, reaching out and yanking the earphones away.  "Hey!"  He shouted in his ear.

    Vash jumped with a startled yell and spun, the dough he'd been working with flying out of his hands towards Knives.  Surprisingly, he caught it.  "Don't **do** that!"  He held his hands out expectantly.

    "What are you making this time, brother?"  Knives asked as he handed the doughy disk back.

    "Pitsa."  He grinned and finished flattening the dough out on the counter.  "You'll like it, trust me."

    "Pitsa?"  He echoed dubiously before shrugging as he watched Vash reach for a can of red goopy paste.  "What is that?"  He asked, wrinkling his nose.

    "Tomato sauce.  It goes on first, over the dough base."  He dumped the contents of the can out and proceeded to spread it around until it covered the entire disk.  "Next comes the meat…" He pulled a package of thinly sliced sausage rolls out of the refrigerator and began tossing them haphazardly over top of the red sauce.  "Then the peppers, onions, followed by cheese…" As he spoke he tossed the ingredients onto the growing pile.  "And, my personal favorite…anchovies and olives!"

Knives thought he was going to gag.  It had to be one of the most disgusting things he'd ever seen…and didn't smell much better.  "I am **not** eating that, Vash."  He stated flatly as he backed away.

"But Knives…" He began in a cajoling tone as he placed the loaded disk onto a pan and shoved it into the oven.  "I've worked **so** hard on it…" He turned and fixed his brother with a dazzling smile.  "And I just used up the last of the groceries.  So…you really don't have a choice, do you?  It's either eat it or starve until we can go grocery shopping.  Come on…you'll like it, I promise.  Pitsa is **so** good!"  He licked his lips and rubbed his belly.  "Oh yeah…pitsa and beer…food of the gods!"

"More like food of the imbeciles."  He muttered under his breath and shook his head.  Maybe he could scrape off the anchovies and olives…maybe that would make it more appealing.  "And I refuse to drink that swill you seem to be so fond of.  It's shameful, Vash.  The saloon owner will be able to retire just on what you spend there every night.  Can't you think of better things to do with your time and money?"

"Like what?"  He grinned and set the timer.  "It isn't like there's anything else for me to do."

"How about helping pay the rent?  Maybe buy the groceries on occasion?  Or perhaps get a job and take some of the stress off of your Insurance girls?"  He scowled at his brother and folded his arms across his chest.  "Honestly, Vash.  How can you feel good about sponging off of them?"

"Hey!  I resent that!  I help out, Knives…" He let the sentence trail off when the other man merely raised an eyebrow.  "Well, I do.  It's a lot of work keeping the house clean and the meals ready when everyone gets home at the end of the day."

"Is that so?"  Knives shook his head.  "There's still a bounty on you, right?"  Vash frowned at the sudden change of topic and nodded reluctantly.  "Maybe we should turn you in for the reward.  That way the girls wouldn't have to work so hard."

"That isn't funny, Knives.  Not funny at all."

"I don't know…sounds like a good idea to me, brother.  Sixty billion double dollars would go a long way towards allowing Millie and Meryl to retire comfortably."  He smirked and waved his hand dismissively.  "I'm not serious, Vash.  No need to look like you're about to explode."

"I don't find it very funny at all.  Don't even joke about something like that.  Besides, I wouldn't even have the bounty on me if not for you.  So, maybe if you're really concerned and all, you'll go and confess that you're the one behind it and turn yourself in so that **we** can retire comfortably."

"It was **your** Angel Arm that did it."

"You were the one who set it off.**

"Like the authorities will believe **that**."

"Besides, you're the one who killed Rem's last blood relative and he's the real reason behind the bounty.  I had nothing to do with that."

"Fine."  He turned away.  "I'm going to check on the solar panels."

"Lunch will be ready in twenty minutes."

Knives raised a hand and waved casually over his shoulder.  "I'll be here."

"Oh…and Knives?"  Vash waited until his brother had turned back to him with a questioning look.  "You really ought to talk to Meryl about what you told me.  She's been pretty patient so far, but don't expect that to last for much longer."

"You told her."  It wasn't a question.

"Well, yeah!  She had a right to know!"  Knives gave him a black look.  "Hey!  Don't look at me like that!  I was only trying to help, you know."

"Don't help me!"  He turned on his heel and strode out the door.  He was becoming thoroughly sick of his brother's meddling in his affairs.  It didn't seem to matter in which aspect of his life he chose to look at it, Vash was always butting in and messing around with things that didn't concern him.  It really was infuriating.  But even worse, Knives knew he only interfered because he truly did care about him.  It made it rather difficult to stay angry with Vash when all he was trying to do was help him.  Of course, whenever Vash helped, things had a way of blowing up and property got destroyed.  He certainly hoped that didn't happen in this case.  **Vash means well…he really does…but his propensity towards disaster makes his efforts…dangerous.**  He shook his head and sighed.  **Vash?**

**Yeah?**  He sounded a little put out.  Knives had no doubt that he'd probably hurt his brother's feelings with his final parting shot.  **What do you want?**

**Thank you.**

**For what?**  He sounded confused now.

**For trying to help.  I'll talk to her…I promise.**

**Tonight?**

**No.**  He left it at that and broke the telepathic connection as he neared the edge of the small town they'd decided to briefly settle in.  Knives rather liked it there.  The people were friendly, the setting quiet, and there was plenty of water to be had, it just had to be tapped into since it rested underground.  With a little work, the small town of Ender could become an oasis on the desert planet.  He smiled as he checked the panels over and made the necessary adjustments before turning to head back towards the small house he shared with his brother and the two women.  He was rather looking forward to seeing how far they could develop the area.  He wanted to see it turn green and become fertile ground where living things could thrive.  He knew it could be done…there was enough water to sustain such an endeavor…but it would take a lot of hard work.  Perhaps he **could** create an Eden after all…just on a smaller scale than he'd originally conceived and, of course, with humans.


	42. Chapter 0042

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.__  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Chapter 42 **

****~****

    Knives studied the irrigation ditches with a critical eye.  The humans of Ender had worked hard to bring the water resting underground to the surface and throughout their small town.  Hopes were high amongst the townspeople and excitement filled the air.  Today was planting day.  They'd sent a small delegation to October City to acquire the necessary seeds and now, after divvying it out amongst themselves, they were preparing to attempt to make the sandy soil fertile with growth.

    His eyes moved of their own volition towards his own home and the trio standing just behind it with various planting tools.  It was going to take a lot of work to make anything grow in such a hostile environment, but they'd done all they could to increase the odds.  The power generated by the solar panels provided the necessary energy to run the circulating pumps that distributed the water throughout the town and the water itself created the necessary hope for the people to tackle the monumental endeavor with enthusiasm.  Now all that remained was to actually place the seeds in the ground and watch them take root and grow.  He grimaced and shook his head.  Or watch it fail and blow away with the next sandstorm that bombarded the town with depressing frequency.  They would have to devise a way to protect the project from the high winds and erosion that accompanied them.

    He was drawn out of his musings when Meryl broke away from the small group and approached him.  He shifted uncomfortably and sighed.  He'd been putting of talking to her, convincing himself that the time wasn't right for various reasons, and now, judging by the expression she wore, her patience had finally fled.  He knew the timing was way off.  They should be focusing on the planting not on talking.  Unfortunately, he doubted she'd see it that way.

    "Knives."  She glared up at him when she stopped in front of him.  "We need to talk."

    "Can't this wait?"  He asked, shifting away from her and glancing meaningfully towards the recently tilled ground.  "We have to…"

    She grabbed his arm and began pulling him behind her away from their companions.  He ignored Vash's knowing grin and Millie's encouraging smile.  "No, this can't wait.  Besides, we can work over here.  It needs to be done, too, and Vash and Millie can take care of things at the house."

    He allowed himself to be led towards the area that had been designated the public 'garden'.  Of course, it was currently deserted, the people having decided to first work on their own individual plots first before tackling what was intended to become an orchard of sorts.  "But…" He cast an almost pleading look in his brother's direction and sighed when he grinned and waved cheerfully in his direction before turning away.

    "No 'buts', Knives.  I've been patient so far.  More than patient.  Now it's time for us to have a little talk."

    "Is now really the time?  Can't this wait until later, after the planting…"

    "No, it **can't** wait!  Unlike you, I don't have an infinite lifespan, Knives.  If we keep putting this off I'm going to grow old and die before you make a move."

    "Make a…move?"  He echoed, blue eyes widening in surprise when she whirled to him, stood on tiptoe while reaching up to pull him down closer to her level, and kissed him.

    "Yes!  Make a move!"  She stepped back, a faint flush in her cheeks as she continued to glare at him.  "I'm not getting any younger, you know.  I've waited for nearly four years for you to give me any indication that you might feel the same way about me that I do for you and you've stubbornly avoided the entire topic!"

    "F-feel?  Wh-what?"  He blinked and stared at her as he stuttered like a fool as he tried to grasp the meaning behind her words, hoping that she meant what he thought she meant.  "I-I thought…" He paused and shook his head sharply before drawing in a deep breath.  "What about Vash?"  He finally asked, blue eyes narrowed as he awaited her answer.

    "What about him?  What does he have to do with anything?"  Meryl scowled and planted her fists on her hips.  "Are you trying to avoid it again, Knives?  Because if you are, I'm letting you know right now that I won't stand for it.  I want to know what your intentions are and I want to know now."

    "Intentions?  And I'm not trying to avoid anything, woman!  I think it's a valid question considering the subject at hand."

    Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.  "Oh my gosh!  You…you're…jealous!"  She laughed and shook her head as his own expression hardened.  "Of all the…" She shook her head again.  "If you would've just **said** something we could've cleared this up a long time ago, Knives.  There's nothing between Vash and I."

    "Could've fooled me.  The way you look at him sometimes…" He turned away and stared at the ground with a frown.  "What else was I supposed to think?"

    "For all your supposed superior intellect, you can be pretty dumb sometimes."  She sighed and stepped closer to him.  "I admit that I care about him…a lot…but…" Her words trailed off when she saw his shoulders slump slightly.  "Hey…let me finish, all right?"  She placed her hand on his arm and frowned when she felt the tenseness of his muscles beneath her palm.  "But what I feel for Vash is friendship…a close friendship, but nothing more.  It was never meant to be anything more.  I've known that for a long time."  She bowed her head and sighed deeply.  "Please don't tell me it's going to be the same way with you."

    He thought this over for a moment before replying.  "So…this…" He waved a hand at the air between them.  "Is a compromise, then?  Settling for one when you can't have the other?"  He didn't like the implications of that and found that the mere thought brought instant pain to his chest.

    Her eyes widened and she shook her head, hard.  "No!"  She cried and stepped around in front of him.  "God no!  It isn't like that at all, Knives!"  She shook her head again.  "I'm making a real mess of this, aren't I?  I'm just no good at talking about my feelings.  I always say the wrong thing at the wrong time."  She sighed and leaned forward, resting her cheek against his chest as she placed her arms around his waist.  "To tell you the truth, I'm afraid.  I don't like talking about things like this, but I just can't go on with the uncertainty anymore."  She closed her eyes with a slight smile when he slowly, with seeming reluctance, returned the embrace.  "I need to know how you feel, Knives.  I need to know where I stand with you before I can move on to the next step, whatever it may be."

    "I don't understand this."  He murmured softly as he tightened his arms around her.  "I don't understand these feelings.  They're so complicated and confusing."  He rested his chin on the top of her head.  "It's like being pulled in opposite directions all at once and never knowing which the correct way to go is.  I'm not sure I like feeling like this and most of the time I can't think of a more cruel form of torment…yet at other times, it's the most wonderful feeling I've ever felt."  He sighed deeply.  "I don't understand any of it.  You confuse me, Meryl.  I hurt when you're around, but it's even worse when you're not.  You make me laugh and you make me want to be a better person."  He closed his eyes tightly.  "You make me wish I was more like Vash so that you would look at me like you look at him…so that you could love me, too."

    She tightened her arms around his waist and shook her head against his chest.  "You big dummy…I thought we already went over that thing with the looks I'm supposed to be giving Vash.  And…and…" She swallowed passed the lump forming in her throat in an effort to force the words out that she needed to say.  "I **do** love you, Knives…I'm just afraid that you don't feel the same way about me."


	43. Epilogue

Trigun Fanfic

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.___

**--Incompatible—**

_Trigun Fanfic Featuring Knives and Meryl.  Knives hates all humans.  Meryl just hates Knives.  It's a match ideal for the promise of __Eden__.   _

By Chiruken

**Epilogue **

****~****

    The silence stretched, intruded upon by the distant sounds of labor and the low murmur of voices as the townspeople toiled in their yards, laughing, joking, hoping together.  The wind blew, the sand shifted and somewhere high above a bird circled searching for a place to roost, to take a moment to rest from its flight across the desert.  The planet turned, the suns continued to shine down upon it and far beyond the reaches of the atmosphere the stars twinkled brightly, waiting for night to fall to show their brilliance.  Hearts thudded, breaths were held, and still the silence stretched on.

    Knives cleared his throat, shifted his feet, tightened his arms around the small woman held within their circle tight against his chest and still he remained silent, trying to form the words that he needed so desperately to say, to force them out passed the lump forming in his throat as he closed his eyes tightly.  He sighed deeply and smiled, the lines of stress and worry smoothing from his face as his expression softened.  "Ah…Meryl…do you know how long I've waited to hear those words?"  He finally whispered.  He set her away from him at arms length and grinned, blue eyes twinkling with happiness.  "Three years, four months, thirteen days, six hours, and forty-six minutes."  He paused for a moment with a thoughtful frown.  "Twenty-two seconds."

    Her lips formed a round 'o' of surprise, grey eyes wide and intent on his own blue gaze.  "You've…kept count?"  She asked in a small voice and shook her head in wonder when he nodded with a solemn expression replacing his previously happy one.  "All that time…and you never said anything…" She murmured softly, a frown tugging down the corners of her lips.  "Why?  Why did you wait so long to say something?"

    "I didn't want to step in where I wasn't wanted."  He answered simply with a shrug.

    "Who says you weren't wanted?"

    "You never gave any indication that you would welcome advances from me."  He shifted away from her and glanced over his shoulder towards the house they shared with his brother and her friend.  "I was under the impression that it was Vash you wanted."

    "Vash…" She murmured and shook her head.  "Back to that again, are we?"  She sighed and lightly punched his arm.  "You could've asked, you know."

    "Some times there is hope in not knowing."

    "And a lot of misery, too.  I thought you hated me.  Or at least strongly disliked me.  You know…I still don't really know how you feel."

    "Do you need to ask?"  He touched his fingers to her cheek in a tender gesture.

    "Unlike you, I can't read minds."  She tilted her head to the side in thoughtful consideration.  "Speaking of which, why didn't you just read **my** mind, Knives?  You could've known long before now how I really feel if you would've just done it and saved the both of us a lot of misery and uncertainty."

    "I thought of it."  He answered truthfully.  "But as I said, there is hope in not knowing, Meryl."  He shrugged and offered her a slight smile.  "And I didn't want to invade your privacy."

    She blinked in surprise.  "You've changed."  She smiled and shook her head.  "I knew you'd changed in some ways…tolerating humans and not wanting to kill us all…but I never realized how much you truly changed."

    "Is it that surprising?"

    "No, not really."  She pursed her lips thoughtfully.  "So…what do we do now?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "You know…you, me…us."  She gestured between the two of them.  "What do we do?"

    "I don't know.  What do humans do when they love each other?"

    She smiled and stepped closer to him again.  "They get married and live happily ever after."  She giggled and reached up to place her arms around his neck.  He accommodated her smaller stature by bending forward.  "And make lots and lots of babies."  She whispered with a blush.

    "Assuming the couple are genetically compatible."  He whispered back, lowering his head until their lips were nearly touching.

    "Ah…but it'll be fun trying…" Her breath brushed against his lips and he closed his eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

    "You know…I have a theory on the compatibility of our species'."

    "Is that so?"  She closed her eyes and pressed closer against him.

    "Mmmm…yes, I do."

    "Why don't you tell me all about it later…after you shut up and kiss me?"

**~*~End~*~**

**_Author's Notes:_**

**__**

**_A big thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed and encouraged me throughout the writing of this story.  I really appreciate it, that I do!_**

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**_I often find it difficult to end a story, especially one that I enjoy writing as much as I did this one, but as the saying goes, all good things must eventually come to an end._**

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**_And so, the chapter closes, the world moves on, and as all love stories end…_**

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**_They Lived Happily Ever After!_**

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**_Love and Peace!_**

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**_^_^x_**

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**_Chiruken_**


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